Wailing at the Western Wall

Does it matter where you pray? Is a prayer at a holy place more powerful?

I’m beginning to wonder.

After praying at the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered one of the most famous sermons of all time, I saw an outline in the sky of what could only be Jesus, or an angel.

And at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, there was a powerful feeling of God’s presence.

Some know this holy place as the “Wailing Wall,” but according to the Jewish Virtual Library, “Wailing” is a term introduced by the British after their conquest of Jerusalem from the Turks in 1917. For centuries, Jews wailed about the loss of the second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. But after the Six-Day War in 1967, where Israel regained control of Jerusalem, the common name reverted back to “Western Wall,” indicating there was no longer anything to wail about, and the wall should represent celebration, not sadness.

Regardless, there is still wailing that goes on at the wall, by people from all over the world, and I was one of those wailing as well, with my own prayers, and interceding for countless Facebook friends who answered my offer to pray for them at the wall.

Was this any different than praying at my kitchen table?

Yes, and no.

When you consider Jesus probably walked near the Western Wall, there is a reverence that overcomes you there.

When I think about the wall, I reflect on the widow, Anna, who in that very same temple, worshipped day and night, fasting and praying. She was eventually blessed by her faithfulness, meeting the Christ child himself.

I remember Jesus entering the temple courts, driving out all who were buying and selling there. He said, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers” (Matthew 21:13).

Jesus considered the temple a holy, special place of prayer, and we should as well. It is where he taught. It is where his disciples taught, and it will have great significance at the end of time.

In Daniel 9, it is prophesied that the temple will be rebuilt. There is currently a group called “The Temple Institute,” ready to go with portable items for the structure, when the time comes to construct the third temple. Before the New Jerusalem is ushered in, two witnesses will prophesy at the temple walls for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.

Why the temple? Why not the streets of Jerusalem?

I believe the temple carries great significance, because God’s spirit resided there in the Holy of Holies. It was considered the center of the world, and will be once again, as all eyes will be on that site.

So to go back to my question, was praying at the Western Wall any different then praying at my kitchen table?

Sadly, yes. Because when scores of people like myself go to wail at the wall, we visit it with the greatest of reverence because of what the wall, and the temple represent. We aren’t distracted at the wall by an email, or phone call coming in. We don’t fall asleep as we are uttering our prayers at night. We zero in on speaking to the one true, and holy God, and we believe he is there. When we go to the wall, it is a holy pilgrimage.

What if every morning when we prayed, we proclaimed our kitchen table, or special chair as a holy site? What if we were so focused on God, we let nothing else interfere with our time with him? What if when we prayed, we gave him our undivided attention, because we knew he was on the other side of our prayers, listening to our wails?

Why do we have to go somewhere to achieve this? I am wailing as I write this, because although I am faithful in my prayers, I am guilty of hurrying them, or being distracted. It’s human nature. We have to be disciplined when we pray.

Today, I issue a challenge. When you pray, don’t pray off into space; expect the Lord to be there with you, hanging on your every word. 1 Peter 3:12 says, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.” In Revelation, it says our prayers reach God’s throne along with incense. That tells me our prayers are a wonderful, pleasing aroma to God.

No doubt, the Western Wall is a special place, but you can create a special place in your home to meet with Almighty God. He’s waiting for you to wail to him.

“Hear my prayer, LORD; let my cry for help come to you” (Psalm 102:1). (LBW)