Apples of Gold
Radio Script for January 5, 2009
“Are My Hands Clean? Is My Heart Pure?”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
It started with two old women in a very humble cottage.
They were sisters. One was 82; the other 84, and blind.
It was after World War II in Scotland, and these old women were greatly burdened by what they saw as the appalling state of their own parish. Apparently no young people at all went to the church.
Well the sisters decided to make it a special matter of prayer. And one particular Bible verse gripped them.
It was Isaiah 44:3, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring…”
They set aside two prayer times each week. Every Tuesday and Friday night starting at 10 p.m. they would get down on their knees and start praying. And they proclaimed that verse, “Lord, You said You would pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground.”
Eventually their fervor spread to the church leaders, who started their own Tuesday and Friday night prayer meetings, in a barn.
After about a month and a half of these prayer meetings, one night one of the leaders read Psalm 24. He read, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart…”
And the man began asking himself, “Are my hands clean? Is my heart pure?”
And they were all gripped with the conviction that if they really wanted God to move, then they themselves must have clean hands and a pure heart. They realized that a God-sent revival must ever be related to holiness.
And eventually God did move in a powerful way on that island of Lewis in the Scottish Hebrides. And the church was once again filled with young people turning to the Lord.
Isn’t that a great story? I love it! I just heard it the other day on the internet, on a website called Sermon Index.net.* It was an old, scratchy recording of a man who was there for that great revival 60 years ago.
First of all, I can just see those two old women in a humble cottage. Two aged sisters looking out for each other. And their social life probably revolved around the church.
They could have just been happy with that, hanging out with other senior citizens until the Lord called them home.
But no. I think the Spirit of God was stirring inside them. They saw the absence of young people in church and felt a burden for them.
They could have complained. They could have gossiped. But instead, they prayed. They devoted themselves to prayer.
They didn’t wait for someone else to call a prayer meeting. They didn’t shake their heads and wish that “they” would do something about it.
Instead they said, “On these days at these times, we will pray.”
I love that.
Plus they picked a certain verse to stand on in their prayers. Isaiah 44:3, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground…”
These two old women prayed earnestly and consistently, calling on the Lord to pour water on the thirsty and to flood the dry ground.
Then somewhere along the line their passion spread. Some church leaders saw the need for such prayer and they, too, devoted themselves to seeking the Lord on Tuesday and Friday nights.
Then the Lord responded to their prayers. The Spirit of God stirred up this question from Psalm 24. “Are your hands clean? Is your heart pure?”
Lately I’ve been meditating on Ephesians 4:30 which says, “…do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…”
If my hands aren’t clean and my heart isn’t pure, then I am grieving the Holy Spirit. And if I’m grieving the Holy Spirit, then how can He work through me? If He doesn’t work through me, then what on earth am I doing? If I am not bearing good fruit, then what am I even about?
No, I must bear good fruit. To do that I must have God’s Spirit working through me. So I must not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, which means I need clean hands and a pure heart.
So just like that man in the barn 60 years ago, I lift up my hands and say, “Lord, do I have clean hands and a pure heart?”
I must have. I simply must have. If I want to see revival; if I want my church to grow; if I want our young people to be saved and on fire for God; then I must have clean hands and a pure heart.
So I pray, “Lord, quench the thirsty. Flood the dry ground. Bring conviction of sin among your leaders. Stir within us in power so that we can stand before You and say, ‘Yes, through Christ I have clean hands and a pure heart so that I may be of full service to my King!’”
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
* http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=376
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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