Gospel Reflections #1071: To Be in a Right Relationship With God

Psalm 66:19 ‘But God listened to my cry and heard me.’

Psalm 66 shifts its focus from the praise of the whole congregation to personal thanksgiving.

This is the passage where David, having overcome his trials, declares with full conviction that his prayer has been answered: ‘God has indeed heard my prayer.’

To fully understand this verse 19, it is essential to consider it in contrast to the preceding verse 18 (‘If there were any iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened’).

David earnestly examined his own heart to see if there were any hidden sins or acts of disloyalty (iniquity) towards God.

David states that for God to answer his prayer, his heart must be in right standing with God.

For a prayer to be accepted by God, it must be accompanied by a willingness to cast aside all sin.

If God were to grant the wishes of a person who prays whilst harbouring evil in their heart, it would amount to condoning that sin.

To be in a right relationship with God means acknowledging our own sinfulness, removing whatever separates us from His presence, and praying that His will be done in our lives; it is through this that God nurtures and transforms us.

Every time we experience this, our hearts are drawn to God with the utmost gratitude, joy, praise and worship.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.