Night Prayer
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Inspiration
No matter how much we give, and how freely we share, if we do so with pride and self-interest, we have neglected to offer the greatest gift. A contrite heart, the psalmist sings, is the greatest sacrifice. If we do not first give ourselves to God, our offering is hollow and empty. Let us come before the Lord as humble people, ready to offer our hearts to Him.
Prayer
Father, I love You, and I confess that I have not always lived in that love. Everything I have is Yours, yet in my pride, I have held back the one thing that You desire most from me. So with this confession, I offer You my heart, broken before You, so that You may make me whole. I pour out myself and ask that You fill me anew with Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
