It's a Heart Problem

Joyce became blind, in which state she stayed for 26 years. She then had lifesaving surgery on her heart; her family was ushered into her room because she wanted to tell them something. They could only assume that bad news awaited them, when they arrived at her bed side all they heard was her repeatedly whispering, "I can see, I can see, I can see..."

Sometimes our real problem isn't our sight, but our hearts. Sometimes we have to fix our hearts before we can fix our sight. What have you been seeing lately? How might you fix your heart? Open the eyes of my heart, LORD, I want to see You.

I said this prayer aloud with a couple hundred other Jesus followers this week. There were phrases that definitely got me choked up and made the whole reading aloud part hard to do. Maybe it was a bit hard to pray because I truly want it to echo the desire of my heart, or maybe because I know I do need to do a little work on my heart so that I can see rightly, see truly. I want to be moved to compassion, I want to see the beauty that Jesus brings to life, I want to see life through God's perspective, I want to see God do great and mighty things, and it has to start here. In my heart. I prayed it that night, and want to continue praying it for the rest of my life. Friend, will you consider doing the same?

A Prayer of Heart Commitment

Lord, I give myself to fully follow You, whatever it may mean. Take every aspect of my life and use me for Your purposes to glorify Your name. I'm not here on earth to do my own thing, to seek my own fulfillment or my own glory. I'm not here to indulge my flesh, to increase my possessions, to impress people, to be popular, to prove I'm somebody important, or to promote myself. I'm not here even to be relevant or successful by human standards. I'm here to please You.

I'll do anything You want me to do as long as You lead me; go anywhere You want me to go since You will go with me; and say anything that You want me to say as long as You will fill me. Teach me, guide me, empower me as I climb the ministry mountain.

Father, there isn't any gift You have for me I don't want. If You want me to wait to accomplish Your work, I will. If you want to use me in a way that I'm not used to, I yield myself to that. I trust You, Lord, to do that which I cannot do for myself. Today I affirm my love for You, my God, and I choose to live and minister in Your way for the rest of my life. To the glory of the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of the Lord Jesus, for the very best of many everywhere, I ask these things. Amen.

(Prayer written by Ruth Myers, Cindy Jacobs, Dale Schlafer, Ramesh Richard)