Wholeheartedness

Wholeheartedness

By Andrew Murray

Living a Prayerful Life

Experience teaches us that anyone who engages in a work less than wholeheartedly will seldom succeed. Imagine a student, or his teacher, a man of business, or a warrior, who does not give himself to the task at hand. That one cannot expect success.

Wholeheartedness is even more essential in spiritual work, and above all, of the high and holy task of prayer and of being always well pleasing to a holy God.

We are reminded of this in Jeremiah: ‘‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’’
(29:13).

Many of God’s servants have said at one time or another, ‘‘I seek God with my whole heart’’—but have you ever thought how many Christians there are of whom it is all too plain that they do not seek God with their whole heart?

When in despair over their sins, they seem to seek God wholeheartedly.
But once they know His forgiveness, even though they may display some Christian virtue, it would be difficult to say of them,
‘‘This man has surrendered his whole heart to follow God and to serve Him as the supreme effort of his life.’’

How is it with you?
What does your heart tell you?
Even though you have given yourself to fulfill your obligations faithfully and zealously (even as a minister), perhaps you need to acknowledge:
‘‘I am convinced that the reason for my unsatisfactory prayer life is that I have not lived with a wholehearted surrender of all that would hinder my fellowship with God.’’

What a deeply important question to consider in our prayer time and then to give the answer to God!
How vital to arrive at a clear answer, and to confess it all before God alone!

Prayerlessness is not something that can be overcome as an isolated thing.
It is related to the state of the heart.
And it is a way of life.

True prayer depends on an undivided heart.
And I cannot give myself an undivided heart—one that enables me to say,
‘‘I seek God with my whole heart.’’

It is impossible for us in our own strength; but God will do it.
He said He would give us a heart to fear Him.
He also said He would write His law on our heart.
Such promises serve to awaken a desire to pray.

However weak our desire may be, if there is a sincere determination to strive after what God has for us, He will work in our heart both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

It is the great work of the Holy Spirit in us to make us willing.
He enables us to seek God with our whole heart.

May we acknowledge that we have been doubleminded, because while we have given ourselves to many earthly things with all our heart and strength, we cannot always say that we have given ourselves to fellowship with God with our whole heart.