From A Clean Heart

Even the simplest of phrases is influenced by the tone in which they're spoken: "good morning" - "may I help you" - "let's get started."  Often forgotten and frequently neglected is how we talk to The Father. The Puritan wrote, "the language of my lips and the feelings of my heart have not always agreed." I suggest praying rightly is one of the Believer's greatest challenges. God has commanded us to pray "without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17); we must understand this principle of prayer: "you ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions" (James 4:3). Praying from a pure heart is repeated in Scripture: "God does not listen to sinners" (John 9;31); "[God] hears the prayers of the righteous" (Proverbs 15:9); "His ears are open" to the righteous (1 Peter 3:12). Watching Him pray, Jesus' disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray," and Jesus did. Where do we start - as we pray, knowing the best place to begin? The Prophet Isaiah said, "Your wickedness has separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear." (Isaiah 59:2). Let us pray, and let us do so rightly ... from a clean heart.