“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6 NLT)
Why do you pray? As I ponder the reasons we pray there are essentially three reasons: desperation, duty, or heartfelt desire. Purifying prayer won’t happen unless we expect it and long for it. Why not? Because purity in the Biblical sense is sinlessness; it’s a desire so strong to please God we refuse to please ourselves by giving into our lustful desires, in whatever form they may rear their ugly head.
If we desire God plus anything else, we’re almost wasting our time praying. Why would I say that? Because only when we’re consumed with desire to please and honor the Lord are we going to hear from heaven. How do I know that? Because our heavenly Father declared at Jesus’ Baptism: “You are My dearly loved Son, and you bring Me great joy.” Another translation says: “with Whom I am well pleased!” Can anyone doubt that God the Father heard His Son EVERY TIME HE PRAYED – AND ANSWERED!
Jesus’ obedience didn’t flow from obligation, but from love, the same as ours should when He’s our highest focus and ambition. Purifying prayer only comes to those whose hearts, minds, and spirits long for the purity of Jesus and are willing to pay the price in prayer to receive it. Purity, like any other Spiritual gift, isn’t given because we earn or deserve it, but because the Lord sees our heart is open to receive it.
When we long for a new car or anything material, a new relationship, job, prestige, honor, esteem or anything else to bolster our egos more than we long for intimacy with Jesus, we’ll not understand the value of purifying prayer.
Intimacy with the Lord grows out of trust, believing when we pray, He will answer, not necessarily by giving us exactly that for which we prayed, but that which is in line with His perfect will. Tim Keller understood this, reflected in his words: “God will either give us what we ask for in prayer or give us what we would have asked for if we knew everything God knows.”
Patience is a God-given fruit of the Spirit that manifests itself most powerfully as we wait expectantly for God to respond to our believing prayers. Every morning, I lift to the Lord dozens of loved ones, friends, neighbors and others by name who are lost and in need of a new life in Jesus. Have they all opened their hearts and lives to the Lord? Not yet! But they will! With my eye of faith, I “see” them kneeling in the Master’s presence, opening their heart and life to Him.
How can I be so certain they will? Because My Savior who doesn’t lie, said in Matthew 7:7: “Keep on asking, and you WILL RECEIVE (emphasis mine) what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks the door will be opened.”
The more time we spend in prayer the purer our heart becomes and the purer our heart becomes the easier it is to take God at His word. Please persevere in prayer, allowing Him to build your trust in Him, and to purify your heart to see His answers even before you ask.
Isn’t He wonderful!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 