During the 21 days of prayer this morning at Church of the Highlands, Pastor Brandon Isbell spoke of prayer and a pure heart. Our heart determines where we go in life. We need to pay attention to the condition of our heart.

Pastor Brandon spoke of David and his prayer of repentance in Psalms 51. So many of us know the verse, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” But , do you know the rest ?

11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

2015 was one of the hardest years  spiritually  for me.   Almost 50 years old and I am still learning, our walk with the Lord has peaks and valleys and all are for a purpose. There will be  times of great testing. The Lord was lead into the wilderness. It is in the wilderness that true faith and character is tested. Some of the revelations for me were brutal and ones of great sorrow BUT GOD never gave up on me. I am humbled and thankful.

Reading the words  in Chapter 51 of Psalms from King David speaks to my soul. Verse 13 says,  I will teach transgressors your ways SO THAT sinners will turn back to you.  God is in the business of restoring. Beauty from ashes. He makes broken things beautiful. He uses our mistakes, our sin, our past and he and he only can turn the missing pieces of the puzzle around for his glory and our good. Our storms, dark hours, failures can help someone else SO THAT they know they are not alone.  It is a lesson that someone else has been on that road before. Maybe, just maybe, we can help them from stumbling or making the same mistakes we made.  We can help them stay the course and finish strong. What a blessing that would be, an eternal blessing for sure.

What the Lord requires of us is told to us in the end of Psalms 51, My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, you, God, will not despise. David is at a place where he is broken BUT he still knows God’s promises. God will never turn away a heart of sorrow and remorse.  God has given us His very great and precious promises SO THAT through his promises, we may participate in His divine nature, his divine plan.

God has shown me that he will pour water on me when I am thirsty. He will bring floods on this dry spirit of 2015, HE will pour his spirit on my descendants and his blessings on my children according to Isaiah 44:3.

May we remember this  new year that the Lord’s presence will go with us and he will give us rest. May we remember that there is hope in the promise of the cross. Our hope is in you, Lord. May we continue to find your promises fresh and new . Lord, help us all apply them to our lives  daily and hold them close to our hearts. Create in us a NEW HEART LORD.

Lord , show us today  how to stand in your grace ~  For Matthew 5:8 assures us, Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.