A Little Dirt on My Face

Oh bother. My face needs to be washed again this morning just like it did last night and the morning before. I won’t call the dog. I’ll just get out my Bible. I think it actually has more to do with my heart condition than my facial parts but let’s look.

Look! I said we would be using all our senses. Sight-what have we been seeing lately? What have we allowed ourselves to look at? God’s word? Great! Violence and sex on TV and at the theater? Uh, not so great. Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy? (Philippians 4:8) Fabulous! An off color story received through email and passed on? I think these are all sins which get in the way of our complete communication with God.

Let’s look at Psalm 66 and see what we find. It’s only 20 verses. It really would be best to read it all but I’ll summarize it for you. It is a call to worship the deeds and awesome power of our God, and a prayer of thanksgiving. The writer acknowledges how God took his people through trials victoriously, and his vow to sacrifice and bring offerings. Finally we read his personal testimony. Beginning with verse 17: "I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me." That is a mighty powerful passage worthy of a second seeing.

Did he say if we had "loved" sin in his heart that God would not have listened? Whoa. I sure want God listening to my prayers. The writer seemed so confident. That’s because he was experienced. He’d confessed before and he knew God would listen. His heart was clear and that meant two-way communication was not hindered.

Can we honestly go before God with our petitions knowing we have dirt on our face and not clean ourselves up first? How much do we cherish those things we see that we likely would not watch or read if Jesus were sitting beside us? Well, guess what? He is. That’s right. He sees what we read and watch and is grieved every time he must endure filth. He is ashamed. It’s like he had to wash our sins away on the cross all over again. Do you see that picture vividly? How hard it must be for him to listen to us when filth is screaming out all around us.

I’m so sorry, Holy Father. Show me if I have watched or read anything that is not pleasing to you today. Purify my eyes. Open them up to what you want me to see and forgive me for not seeing things that you want me to see. Blind me, turn me away from all forms of evil in this world that would dirty my eyes and my mind. Is there a hint of envy of a neighbor’s possession? Is there failure to see someone in need? Reveal to me even the tiniest things so that my communication with you is not hindered. I want to shout with the Psalmist that you have not rejected me and of your great love for me. Oh thank you, Holy Father. Praise your wonderful name. All glory and praise be unto you forever. Amen.

Any confessions you care to record here as a reminder of God’s faithfulness to forgive?