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PRAY WITH PURITY

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

MATTHEW 5:8

Because sin can block our access to God, it’s critical that we learn to pray and live with purity. The Bible reminds us that those who regard iniquity in their hearts will not be heard in heaven.[1] Purity has to do with not being mixed up or adulterated with improper substances or materials. It means that what you see is what you get. We should strive for purity because Jesus was pure, and we seek to follow him. He challenges us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him.[2] Jesus was able to say about himself, “The ruler of this world . . . has no power over me.”[3] Though Jesus “faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.”[4] So for us to pray and live with purity, we must strive for ethical congruence and consistency, reflecting the character of Jesus.

Proverbs assures us that God “delights in the prayers of the upright.”[5] And the prophet Isaiah says that God waits for us to come to him “so he can show [us] his love and compassion.”[6] Furthermore, “he will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.”[7]

We should have such confidence that God wants to answer our prayers that we resonate with the sentiment of 1 John 5:14-15: “We are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” God is ready and eager to respond positively to our requests, even as earthly parents delight in giving good gifts to their children.[8]

Praying without purity hinders our prayers, perhaps because our motives are selfish. James 4:3 states, “Even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong —you want only what will give you pleasure.” Praying, “O Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz” is not apt to move the hand of God on our behalf.[9] To pray with purity, we must pray unselfishly.

For a time, when my wife and I were looking for a home near Washington, DC, we made house hunting a full-time job. We prayed and gave God the specifics of what the house should have: granite countertops, upgraded windows, and a gas fireplace. You know, the necessities of life —and beyond. As long as we prayed about what we wanted, nothing happened. We couldn’t find a satisfactory place. Finally, in desperation, we changed our tune, left out the specifics, and just prayed for wisdom. When we stopped praying selfishly, telling God everything we thought we needed, we wound up finding our dream home.

If we desire to pray with purity, we must strive to keep ourselves pure. First Thessalonians 5:22 says, “Stay away from every kind of evil.” Even when an action isn’t wrong, if it appears wrong, we shouldn’t do it. When I was receiving ethics training as a new rear admiral in the US Navy, the instructor gave us one succinct rule for living above suspicion: “If you have to explain it, don’t do it.”

If we desire to live and pray with purity, we must also value and safeguard our souls. In Mark 8:36, Jesus asks, “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” Are you guarding your soul? Are you taking seriously the eternal consequences of moral missteps? The Bible tells us that any husband who mistreats his wife, for example, will hinder his own prayers.[10] An important part of safeguarding our souls is striving to “put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within” us.[11] We must intentionally prune from our lives those habits and addictions that make us unlike Christ. Perhaps this is what Paul has in mind when he tells the Philippians, “Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.”[12]

Finally, to pray with purity, we must make no provision for our carnal nature. “Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”[13] We must make sure we’re not providing a stimulus for evil within our hearts, devising or cherishing provisions to gratify our desires. Get rid of the stashes, the reservoirs. Seek to put on the attitude that John the Baptist had toward Jesus when he said, “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”[14] That’s the key to living and praying with purity. When we exalt Christ and humble our own hearts, we’ll find ourselves praying with a purity of heart that will enable us to see God and make our voices heard in heaven.

How to Pray with Purity

  1. Keep yourself pure.
  2. Value and safeguard your soul.
  3. Make no provision for your carnal nature.