Recently my prayer has been, “Lord give me a pure spirit, a pure heart.”
It began when I woke up in the middle of the night. Do you ever wake up at night and a thought or prayer pops into your head? Like many of a certain age, sleep for me is rarely uninterrupted. I have learned to use this time for prayer. When I woke up a few weeks ago, “Lord, give me a pure spirit,” popped into my mind. I knew by morning I would forget my middle-of-the-night prayer, so I wrote down this random thought God put on my heart and continued my prayers. Eventually, I fell asleep. In the morning, blurry-eyed and stretching as I woke up, it was scribbled on my notepad, “Lord, give me a pure spirit.” Simple. I wasn’t sure why that prayer came into my thought, but it was there, and I tucked it away for another day.
A week later, I experienced a special event that brought the prayer, “Lord, give me a pure spirit,” to the forefront of my mind. It was a Sunday morning children’s program, typical in most churches, but that day it felt different as I observed the purity of heart in the little children as they sang for us. I love these sweet times. Second and third graders who have practiced and practiced. Now they are standing before the church, eyes glued to their teacher, who was mouthing the words. They stand up straight, forgetting to smile because they don’t want to sing the wrong words. Except there is always one child who knows every word, every verse, every move. This child has waited anxiously for this day; to sing his little heart out for Jesus. He is totally into the performance and belts out the words. Singing with abandon, the little boy threw his whole body into the song. His sandy, barely combed, tousled hair flopped up and down, arms swooping from right to left as he imagined following Jesus. The song was “The Cry of my Heart.” You probably know this song:
Teach me your holy ways, Oh Lord
Make me wholly devoted to you
It is the cry of my heart
It is the cry of my heart
It is the cry of my heart to follow you
It is the cry of my heart to be close to you
It is the cry of my heart to follow you
All of the days of my life.
He was pure of spirit and pure of heart. Then I understood my prayer. “Lord, give me a pure spirit.” I want to be like this child, wholly devoted to Jesus.
After the children sang, it was time to present the third graders with their first Bible. Our pastor passed the Bibles out one by one. Each was received with a polite “Thank you” until the second to last little girl. Dressed in her Sunday finest, a white frilly dress and little black Mary Jane shoes, she took her Bible, opened it, inspected it, and pressed it to her heart. She received it joyfully, and as the precious sacred gift, it is- God’s word. She held on so tightly, occasionally opening it up again, touching it, and returning it to her heart as she left for Sunday school. When she returned to the sanctuary for the benediction, she was still holding her Bible tightly against her chest. Again my prayer and the cry of my heart is, “Oh Lord, give me a pure spirit,” like these little children.
God desires us to come as little children with a pure spirit and a heart wholly devoted to Him. In Psalm 119:11, David says, “I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.”
This tender moment at church with the children reminded me of the story in Mark 10:13-16 when children were brought to Jesus for Him to touch them, and the disciples rebuked their parents. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
Sometimes I forget to see myself as, indeed, God’s child. I come to Him as an adult with all the answers. I forget the endearing names Jesus uses to refer to me and you:
My little child,
My little flock,
My beloved,
My friend,
My son,
My daughter.
Jesus values us. The cry of His heart is for us to be close to Him, to be in Him as He is in the Father, to be one with Him.
What is the cry of your heart today? Maybe you don’t know or can’t express your heart’s cry in words. Yet you know there is an undefined longing, an internal need. Today is your opportunity. Ask the Lord to define the hunger, the cry of your unique heart. Imagine yourself climbing into the arms of Jesus as a little child to be blessed by Him. Be enveloped by His love, assurance, and tender mercy. Imagine Jesus whispering to you, “Blessed are you, the poor in spirit, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you with the pure heart, for you will see God. Blessed are you who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for you will be satisfied.”
Allow yourself to come as His little child today. Let Psalm 46:10 sink in. “Be still, and know that I am God;” Your Abba, your Daddy, your Father.
Let Him comfort you if you need comfort.
Let Him reassure you if you need reassurance.
Rest in His arms and be refreshed.
Blessings,
Personal Parables is the blog of Dyann Shepard. Get Dyann’s complementary study in Proverbs and prayer guide, What to Do When You Don’t Feel Good Enough. If you need encouragement to remember the truth about yourself in times of doubt and anxiety, this free 5-day study is for you. Follow Dyann and Personal Parables on Instagram and Facebook. Dyann is available for speaking, guest blogging, and article writing.
Personal Parable Practices
- Will you take time today to let Jesus hold you as a child?
- Will you pour out your longings to the God who loves you?
- Will you “be still and know” your Father’s voice?
Will You Pray with Me?
Thank you for the privilege of coming to you as a child. You say I can call you Abba, Daddy. This is too wonderful for me to comprehend. But as your child, thank you. Help me Father to sit quietly with you, to listen, to be still and to enjoy your presence. Amen.
Scripture for Meditation
Matthew 5:1-12 – Try praying the Beatitudes (Blessed are you [insert your name] when…)
Mark 10:13-16 – And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
1 John 3:1 – See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Music for Reflection
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