JOURNAL ~ PsalmsSample
SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD - Day 4
It’s a heart thing...
Jesus said: “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8). I've been watching a television series that shows a person’s heart becoming dark when they choose evil. While it's a nice idea in a fairy tale, the harsh reality is that our hearts are dark to begin with. That makes this beatitude feel pretty much impossible. Who can possibly be pure in heart? Does that mean we're doomed not to see God? Ever?
David knew the key to purity of heart. All we have to do is ask. We can't purify our hearts. We don't know what it truly means to have a pure heart. The only way we can even try to be pure is by asking God to create that in us.
It's God’s presence
Verse 11 reminds me of Moses’ conversation with God in Exodus 33:15. Moses told the Lord: If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here … What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of
the earth?
Both men, Moses and David, cannot even begin to comprehend what life would be like without God’s presence. David didn't want to lose God’s presence because an eternity without God is, well, hell. The presence of God changes and transforms. It enables us to have a pure heart, to choose righteous living, and to live according to God’s will.
Scripture
About this Plan
In his ‘Letter to Marcellinus’, Athanasius of Alexandria (4c) said, “Most Scripture speaks to us; the Psalms speak for us." This devotional contains a selection from the Psalms. Through these selections, we hope to show that nothing is off limits when it comes to prayer. Anything and everything, even things that come from the darkest parts of our hearts, can be brought to God. He listens!
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We would like to thank International English Service Jakarta for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: http://iesjakarta.org/