This resolution of Daily United Prayer is based on An Humble Attempt, originally put forward by Jonathan Edwards in 1748. Its design is to encourage God's people in the duty of united extraordinary prayer; setting aside some time every day to pray for the revival of His church and the advancement of Christ's kingdom in our homes, in our churches, in our nation, and in the world.
"And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 3:10)
Yesterday's devotional by Curtis Knapp should give us pause. He read a portion of a sermon by Samuel Davies entitled, The Danger of Lukewarmness. The Bible has much to say, in both Old and New Testaments, on the topic of lukewarmness. But it uses the phrase "whole heart" much of the time. This is what the Lord expects of us, friends. A divided heart is shared affections, and He will not tolerate our affections being shared. Any more than we would tolerate the affections of our spouse being shared with another lover.
This same principle of "whole-heartedness" can be applied in the place of prayer. Half-heartedness in prayer amount to cold and lifeless prayers. Prayers that are mere words without heart. Without soul. Painted fire. Clouds without water. Without substance, without life. We should be on our guard against such prayers in our lives. We should, like Elijah, pray in our prayers so that even as we are praying, we are praying (James 5:17). If that sounds like a conundrum to you, it simply means that we are praying with our whole heart.
Read what Spurgeon has to say about half-heartedness:
We never do anything in this world until we set our faces thoroughly to it. The warriors who win battles are those who are resolved to conquer or die. The heroes who emancipate nations are those who count no hazards and reckon no odds, but are resolved that the yoke shall be broken from the neck of their country. The merchants who prosper in this world are those who do their business with all their hearts, and watch for wealth with eagerness. The half-hearted man is nowhere in the race of life.
Friends, let us ask God for the grace and power of His Spirit to give Him our whole heart. In the flesh, we will fail. But ask God even for this, and He will give you the desires of your heart. I would love for you to listen to this powerful clip from a sermon by Mark Minnick recounting the story of F. B. Meyer. It illustrates the point beautifully.
DAILY UNITED PRAYER unitedprayer.net
Mon-Fri @ 12pm EDT // Sat @ 10am EDT
We invite you to join our dedicated and earnest group of praying participants of all ages from around the world that meet every day over Zoom to pray. At the start of each prayer call, a different individual will bring a brief Scriptural meditation. Here's the most recent:
