Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart

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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them.  People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  1 Samuel 16:7b (NLT)

 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.  Galatians 5:25 (NLT)

I heard a new hymn this morning; actually it was written by Rev. George Croly in 1854, so its new-ness is only to me; I love it already! 

Listen carefully to this prayer for God’s presence and leading.

1 Spirit of God, who dwells within my heart, 
wean it from sin, through all its pulses move. 
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as you are, 
and make me love you as I ought to love. 

2 I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies, 
no sudden rending of the veil of clay, 
no angel visitant, no opening skies; 
but take the dimness of my soul away. 

3 Did you not bid us love you, God and King, 
love you with all our heart and strength and mind? 
I see the cross there teach my heart to cling. 
O let me seek you and O let me find! 

4 Teach me to feel that you are always nigh; 
teach me the struggles of the soul to bear, 
to check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh; 
teach me the patience of unceasing prayer. 

 

5 Teach me to love you as your angels love, 
one holy passion filling all my frame: 
the fullness of the heaven-descended Dove; 

my heart an altar, and your love the flame.  [2]

My heart an altar, and your love the flame

Anyone who has ever tasted of the presence of God by His Spirit understands the heart-cry of this prayer – the hunger of a soul to have God’s indwelling presence to guide and bring personal spiritual awakening and alertness. 

This hunger is the soul’s cry to be able to please God more than anything.  And I have to confess that, in all the years since the Spirit of God first moved my heart to claim Jesus Christ as my Lord, I have never gotten over the pull of that hunger.

Another song made popular by Bill and Gloria Gaither says exactly how this hunger to serve God plays out in the soul…the longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

So we have two realities here, the pull of our heart’s hunger to please and serve God, and the precious joy of that desire growing with the years as we serve Him.

It’s not a promise that everything will taste better, or heal faster, or go smoother; it’s a heavenly reality that God is faithful and loves you, no matter what happens.

For You Today

Make your heart an altar for the Holy Spirit to burn with God’s love.

There’s nothing sweeter.

There’s nothing truer.

There’s nothing more eternal!

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[1] Title image:  By Ziko-C, via Wikimedia Commons

[2] Information on the hymn and image of George Croly:  via Hymnary.org