Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Heart & Humility


The topic of prayer has recently come up in my journey.  Not just from the standpoint of my own prayers but more into the thought of praying the right prayer.  When I was a younger Christian (if you consider being 40 ‘young,’ I heard a gentleman talk about prayer life saying that God is all knowing, and even if you are not good at prayer, he understands your heart.  And He will hear your prayer and request.  As I’ve grown older, I heard more complex teachings on prayer.  For example, the sermon at my church this week gave me three key takeaways.  My pastor said that prayer is defined by the entire Bible and not just a few verses.  Second, it is about connecting with God and not about what we get out of it.  Finally, it is an act of obedience and not desperation.  These points were very helpful in understanding what a prayer life should be like.  My confusion however focused on what I first learned.  If my prayers are not really good, can my prayer life be?  The answer is in the humility which you present it with.

Our words and hearts must be in alignment with each other for our prayers to really be worthwhile.  You see, you really can’t have a solid prayer life unless your heart is into it.  That is why a person who is born again and seemingly ignorant on the right way to pray to God can be more impactful than the most studied of prayer warriors.  Reading the Psalms of David are a great reminder of what a successful prayer life would sound like.  I was reading a historian’s viewpoint on David’s writing of the 19th Psalm.  They said the chapter is twofold talking first about how great God is and how he is Lord over all things.  However, the second part is a bit of his own introflection.  David wrote:

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
    Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
    Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
    and innocent of great sin.  Psalm 19:12-13

 It’s as if to say, “I know I am not you, God.  Help me be a good man and not a worldly one.”  This shows the humility of David understanding that while he is King of Israel and a great man, he is a servant of God, and as such, needed Him to help make the right choices so that he will be blameless.  How often do we go to God with this kind of heart?  One that acknowledges His greatness and our weakness?  This was why the closing of the 19th Psalm was perfect.  We want our prayers to fully see who God is, and to look upon Him knowing we simply cannot make it without Him.  This is the heart of a believer who is fully connected with God.

Our prayer life is a simple reminder of our relationship with God.  It keeps it real because it is above a ritual that we mark off and more personal than practical.  Do not let your prayers just be an idle act.  Make it meaningful and impactful as a true act of worship, appreciation, and adoration for the one true living God.  Are your prayers heartfelt or just going through the motions?  What changes can you make to improve on your prayers and prayer life?  My prayer is that we go to God frequently with two key ingredients; heart and humility.  Amen.

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