DAY 13: PRAY WITH A SINCERE HEART
"“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
—2 Chronicles 7:14"
As children of God, we must constantly monitor our heart’s posture to be sure our motivation for entering His presence is pure.
If you’re a parent, then you know how deflating it can be for your kids to constantly beg you for toys or permission to do fun things. Don’t you wish they would crawl into your lap sometimes just to say, “I love you”? Having a sincere heart before God means refraining from running into His presence with each day’s shopping list and instead slowly, quietly, humbly expressing gratitude for who He is.
While prayer is a joyful experience, it is also a serious encounter with God! We should come before a God with an understanding of our reverence before Him.
Sincere prayer is not about the physical position in which you pray but about the spiritual attitude of your heart. When Paul prayed, he did so as a submissive son to a Father. When Nehemiah prayed, he referred to himself as God’s servant. He asked God to be with him and to guide him as he acted in obedience to God’s will.
In Matthew 6, Jesus rebukes a group of people, calling them hypocrites for praying to be seen by others instead of praying to bring honor to God. “They have received their reward,” Jesus said. “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (vv. 5–6).
What Jesus is pointing to here is the insincerity of some people’s prayers. Yes, they may be saying prayers, but they’re certainly not praying prayers. And there is a vast difference between the two. When people offer repetitious prayers as a matter of routine, in a vain attempt to perform for God, inside, their hearts are unmoved.
The only way I know how to identify this in my life is to ask myself, do I only pray when people are watching? Do I simply pray so others will think more of me? Jesus is asking about our motivation.
So how about you? What’s your prayer life like—not what others see, but what God sees? What is your attitude when you pray? Are you resisting Him, demanding your own way? Or are you bowing before Him and saying, as Jesus said, “Not as I will, but as you will”? Is it your desire, truly, to draw near to God, to know Him, to please Him?
Read and meditate on Psalm 139:23 in your prayer time today: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts.”
Thank you for giving. Your individual generosity makes the impact of PowerPoint Ministries possible.
Powered By Text