LIFTING HOLY HANDS
1 TIMOTHY 2:1–8
I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting
(1 Tim. 2:8).
The Scriptures are replete with descriptions of the manner in which we should pray. Many references are made to the “pure in heart,” to the “righteous,” whose prayers availeth much, to those who lift “holy” hands in prayer, to those who pray “fervently” and “continually,” to the one who is “watchful” in prayer. We must be watchful so that our hearts might be guarded. Then, we might endeavor, being free from known sin, to pray with “pure hearts.”
When we worship the Lord, we are to worship Him in the splendor of holiness. This means that the disposition of our hearts is to be set apart from worldly things and ensconced in the things of the Spirit. We cannot do this if we are distracted by the sins of the flesh and bound by hypocrisy and formalism.
Considering the many exhortations and commands to pray “in righteousness,” one might ask, “Then who can pray, for who among us is righteous?” In answer, we must define what it means to have a pure heart. It does not mean that we are totally free from sin, for then what need would there to be of confession, which is assumed in the Lord’s Prayer? Pureness of heart, therefore, is to have our hearts purified before the Lord, to be willing to have our feet washed by our Redeemer on a daily basis. The Rev. Preston once wrote, “If a man draws near to the Lord with a pure heart, though he is still spotted, polluted, and defiled, yet he has a habitual disposition. He has a principle within; he has a new nature within that is still working out that impurity and washing it away. Though he is foiled, yet he still resists and fights against it. as the Israelites had a charge never to make peace with Amalek. Such a disposition is in such a man, he never makes peace with any sin. Though he is led captive by it sometimes, yet he does not yield to that captivity. This is to have a pure heart.”
Though the regenerate man sins, he does not give way to sin. It does not rest in his heart. When it muddies the waters of his soul, he opposes it with a passion and brings his case to the Lord. Such a one can come boldly and with confidence to the throne of grace, where he can be sure to find refreshment and strength in his battle against the lusts of the flesh and temptations of the world.
CORAM DEO
Psalm 119:1–48
1 Corinthians 3
Read Deuteronomy 1:45; 1 Samuel 14:37; Psalm 66:18; Proverbs 1:28, 21:13, 28:9; Isaiah 59:2; James 1:6–7, 4:3. What are some causes for prayer to go unanswered? Read the verses below. What posture should you have when you come before God in prayer? Examine your own posture as you pray to God today.
For further study: Jer. 29:13 • Mark 11:24 • James 5:16 • 1 John 3:22
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