A Prayer for the Open-Hearted

"One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message" (Acts 16:14, NIV).

Lord,

We can be so arrogant,
believing that we convert people to you.
We could preach and teach all day long,
but nothing worthwhile would happen
without you doing the impossible work of opening hearts.

We could feed the hungry,
clothe the naked,
visit the prisoners,
defend the orphans and the widows,
house the homeless,
and find jobs for the unemployed.

But what ultimate good would be done
unless you opened hearts to your love?

We want to open hearts,
but we can't.
We can only plant and water
the seeds of your grace.
We can't make the seeds grow,
but you can.

You can change the lives of the people we love.
You can open their hearts to faith.
You can open their hearts to love.
You can open their hearts to hope.
You can open their hearts to peace.
You can open their hearts to joy.
You can make things right deep down in their souls.

Show us your power!
Show us your glory!
We want to see it
in the open hearts around us!
For Jesus' sake,
please do it!