God Prepares Our Hearts To Pray!
“…thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear…”~ Psa. 10:17
I have always been drawn to unusual scriptures in the Bible, problem texts, as some like to refer to them. Over the years I have found in studying commentaries that the commentators had the same difficulty I had with the hard sayings. So you might say in such cases, “Our guess is as good as theirs.”
Allowing our text to say what it means and mean what it says, let us study it from a literal viewpoint. All scripture is to be interpreted in this manner unless impossible to do so. To spiritualize portions of scripture is the exception to the literal approach. We’re mostly told when to spiritualize a text. (See Jn. 2:19-21; Matt:16:11-12, etc.)
It seems to me our text teaches that God prepares our hearts to pray so that He can attend to it. It would certainly shed light on Ro.8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
Paul tells us God works in us both to will and do His good pleasure. And Isaiah says the same thing, “… for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.” Thus we can understand, “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”~ Isa. 65:24
It would seem that God first plants the prayer in us and we work it out. As in Genesis, God planted the tree then Adam dressed and kept it.
“Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” AND SO IT IS WITH PRAYER!
by an Aged Saint