6. Unite my heart to fear you.
Unite my heart to fear your name. (Psalm 86:11)
Our sinful hearts trend toward division, not unity. More and more of our inner selves resonate with God’s heart, but rebel desires and impulses still linger as long as we live. To be a Christian is to be killing sin (Romans 8:13).
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
If we set our souls on cruise control, they do not move toward Christ, but in a thousand other directions. Remaining sin divides our attention and affection. Our frequent prayer should be that God rid us of that kind of spiritual divisiveness and unite our hearts in him.
7. Reveal yourself through me.
Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me. (Psalm 86:17)
The goal of all of God’s favor to us—to every answered prayer—is not only our own hope, joy and strength, but also a statement to the whole world. What happens in our prayer closets begins with us, and may focus on many of our situations and circumstances, but we should always be asking God to show the world what we have seen and enjoyed of him.
Jesus, says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
We want our faith and our whole life to mean something to the watching world. We want unbelievers to know that our God is the one and only God. Even more than that, we want them to know him and be saved.
With our prayers, we ask God to take what he is doing for us, and in us, and do something dramatic through us in the hearts and minds of others.
