HEARTFELT PRAYERS (1)

“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the WHOLE HEART” – Psalm 119:2

God cherishes our HEARTFELT PRAYERS: “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the WHOLE HEART” (Psa.119:2). Heartfelt Prayers are prayers that emanate from the depth of our hearts. Prayer is communicating with God; talking to, listening to, and hearing from Him. Praying creates a line of communication with our Creator and Father and helps to consistently build a personal relationship with God that allows Him to touch our true inner self – our heart. God wants us to open our hearts to Him. Prayer is opening our hearts to God! The Psalmist truly knew the value of hearts in relating with God: “I will praise You with UPRIGHTNESS of HEART” (v.7a)… “With my WHOLE HEART I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! (v.10); and “Your word I have hidden in my HEART, that I might not sin against You” (v.11). Hearts really matter!

Many of God’s people in Scriptures developed habits of communicating and communing with Him. For example, most psalms were actually prayers, and many were by David, the great king of Israel, known as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). For example, the beginnings of Psalms 4 and 5 read thus: “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; have mercy on me, and hear my prayer” (Psa.4:1); “Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray” (Psa. 5:1-2). There are many types of prayer mentioned in the Bible, but one common factor in prayers that helped build real relationship with God is that such effective prayers were heartfelt.

God isn’t looking for fancy words or even many words, but for prayers from the heart. God isn’t impressed by prepackaged prayers repeated mindlessly. Jesus warned against praying to impress others or using “vain repetitions”: “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Mt. 6:7). God wants to hear what’s in our heart and on our mind. He is far more interested in what we are inside than outside. As He told Samuel, “For the LORD does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the HEART” (1 Sam.16:7b). God not only looks at the heart, He listens to our hearts and speaks to our hearts. He’s delighted when we also speak to Him from our hearts.

God does not want lip service. He longs for people who seek Him with their whole heart: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their HEARTS far from me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvellous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden” (Isa.29:13-14). Jesus prayed heartfelt prayers. He never prayed in a cold, distant manner, but in deep supplication, filled with compassion, empathy and a genuine love for the Father and for humanity.

Jesus also warned that those who simply come with words and not actions – not doing what God says from the heart – will not enter the Kingdom of heaven (Mt.7:21-23). God delights in people who seek Him with their whole heart: “Then you will call upon Me and go and PRAY to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with ALL YOUR HEART” (Jer.29:12-13). May we be counted by Grace among those who seek, find, and commune God with all their heart, in Jesus name!