Prayer for a pure heart to pursue God
By Kelly Ballery
Bible Reading: “What is blessed is pure in the heart, for they see God. – Matthew 5:8 ESV
Read or listen to the following:
“Oh! Look at the ground!” I told my friend as we walked together.
Before I made this bold statement, I was in the process of telling my friend how much God loved her. I interrupted her so we both stopped our conversation and put our heads down to the ground together.
Smiling, we immersed ourselves in what we saw: leaves in the shape of our hearts.
It is like God who surprises us like this. I love it when he shows up like this.
Dear friend, has this ever happened to you?
For me? When my heart is set in God… when I talk about God frequently… when I think about God throughout the day… he appears like this.
He’ll make a slightly surprising landing. The shape of the cross may look at the stick. While I’m reading the Bible, someone might hear him say what he whispered to me in the morning. I may encounter a smile that reminds me of Jesus. I might look out the window and notice a bumper sticker that tells me what I want you to know.
When my heart purely seeks him, thinks of him, chases him, I seem to get more of him. When I want God purely above all else, I see him all day. He may speak in lessons through the situation. He may speak through the voice of a friend. He may speak through trial, but regardless – I can see God.
Matthew 5:8 says, “They are blessed in their hearts because they see God.
What is a pure heart?
Considering pure gold, it is pure as all impurities have been removed. Through heat, impurities rise to the top of gold, and what remains is pure. Gold is genuine and pure when it is 100% faithful to its nature.
Similarly, I am pure when I allow my impurities to be removed (by empowering God’s grace) through the heat of life. Here, my pure motivation gives way to the Lord’s passionate pursuit. And without impure intentions, there are no more spiritual restrictions or random anti-indications that hinder God’s view.
When I have a pure heart, I see God more easily. With a pure heart, I will please the Lord more easily. With a pure heart, I can see his heart more easily.
Let’s pray:
Father, I want to have beautiful hands and pure heart. Do you cleanse me? I want to be tested and proven purely like gold. I want to meet you. I want to please you. I want to know you. May I be known as someone who loves you with all my heart, soul, heart and strength. With the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©getTyimages/aaronamat
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