The first time I read these questions I was in my tiny studio apartment in Edmond, Oklahoma. I was a very young worship leader and was in the heat of dating my future wife, Kimberlyn. (She is really hot). I read this passage on a Saturday night, I was alone and struggling with my thoughts and I just began to read. I have, since I came to Christ, desired so badly to see a generation of people after God, including myself, so that night this nailed me as I asked myself these questions. “Can I come God into your presence, ascend to you and stand, the way that I am, with all of this junk that is in me?” I was hungry to ascend and as one who helps people commune with God I knew this was a question that each individual needs to ask humbly. Can I approach you, God of the universe? I am willing to lose myself to come to you God of all.

Take a moment and individually or corporately propose this question to God. Allow quietness and space.

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.

God now whispers patiently to us all. The answer is harshly and beautifully true. “The one that can come to me and stand is the one who is pure in heart, for the pure in heart will see me (Matt. 5:18). The one who can approach me is the one who is upright in his or her deeds, and character. The one that I will allow to ascend to me is the one that doesn’t love something over me and becomes satisfied by the things this world has to offer. The one who can stand here with me is the one that doesn’t give themselves to lies, deceit, falsities and pseudo religion.” I sometimes shrug my shoulders as I think these grand thoughts of clean hands, pure heart, and not being satisfied by this world, especially here in America, where there is always plenty to satisfy us. Even Christian ministry can slowly take the place of the one true satisfier, Jesus.

Take a moment and ask God to put a deep thirst and hunger in you for purity of heart, right character, and to only get your needs met by God.

5 He will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from God his Savior.

Blessing and freedom come to this kind of seeker.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

This hunger that gets stirred up in us through the work of the Holy Spirit, by the blood of Jesus, creates a passion that is far past any emotion. It becomes the mission of ones whole being to pursue God with wholeheartedness. And when this turns into more than one but in fact a whole generation of wholehearted seekers, we will see an incredible move of God as those who don’t know God see a generation purely hungry for Him, not getting their needs met by the world and living what they are saying in unity, this is the generation that seeks the face, not the hand, of the God of Jacob. This is a generation that is after not the benefits of God, as wonderful as they are, but are after God’s face. (Take a moment and ask God to drive this passage of truth into the heart of this generation of seekers.)
NIV

Father, give us clean hands and pure hearts. We want to desire you above all else. Cause myself, and my generation to run after you with all we are, so that the church becomes one and those who don’t know you will have an obvious decision to make about who you are. We pray for you to move in our hearts God, by your spirit. Amen.