Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
I cried to him with my mouth,
and high praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the LORD would not have listened.
But truly God has listened;
he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psalm 66:16-19
WOW! What a great day it was to simply adore God. I pray that your mind was as captured as mine was as I contemplated the awesome greatness of God. His love, His mercy, His grace, His power, His glory, His eternality and His righteousness are simply incomprehensible, but incredibly joyful to get lost in.
As we contemplate and worship the great God who is, we are (or, at least I am) all the more aware of the necessity of a pure heart as I approach His glorious throne of righteousness. The seat of effective prayer is a pure heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8).
A pure heart is granted to us by God’s grace on the virtue of the Lord Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice. Our response to this gift of grace is faith and repentance. The Psalmist cried out to God in faith (v. 17) and repented of his sins (v. 18). He did not cherish iniquity in his heart. His inward heart matched his outward cry. Anything less is hypocrisy. And, God does not hear the prayers of hypocrites. The child of God puts away the sins of the flesh and seeks the glory of God and his gracious gifts, all of which are obtained by prayer. God will answer the prayers of his penitent children.
Examine your heart as you pray today. Ask God to reveal his character to you and to shine light of his righteousness into the dark recesses of your heart. As your sins become known, confess them, claim the sacrifice of Christ in place of them and turn from them. Pray for God’s help so that you may give him thanks for his grace and serve him more.
CHD
Scripture Readings:
Psalm 51
James 4:1-12
Romans 6-8:1
John 1:29-35
Psalm 24
Colossians 3:1-17
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