Today’s Key Scripture
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise.”
— Psalm 51:17
What is a contrite heart? It is a repentant, even broken heart.
God is looking for a broken heart, a truthful and honest heart, one that is completely open to Him. He declares, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom” (Psalm 51:6).
Madame Guyon (1648-1717), a mighty woman of prayer who has impacted me greatly through her writings, once said:
The simple requirement is that you must learn to pray from your heart and not your head. The reason for this is that man’s mind is so limited in its operation, it can only focus on one object at a time. But the prayer offered from the heart cannot be interrupted by reason. Nothing can interrupt this prayer except confused affection. When you have enjoyed God and the sweetness of His love, however, you will find it impossible to set your affections on anything other than Him.
To enjoy the sweetness of His love in your heart, your heart must be pure and contrite: “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
God is looking for a broken, truthful, honest, and open heart as you seek to draw near to Him.
A Prayer for Today
Lord, with an open heart I seek to dwell in Your presence. I deserve nothing, in and of myself, yet You continually shower me with unmerited grace and undeserved favor, even as You heal my broken heart. I thank You for Your promise to draw near to me. What a comfort that is to me! And as I go through this day, help me to point others to You. Help me to set all my affection upon You. May I reflect the light that You shine through in all of my actions. Help me to stay humble, even as You reveal more and more of Your will in my life. I pray this in the name of Jesus, amen.
*All Scripture references are NKJV unless otherwise noted.
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