Give Us Clean Hands
Your Nightly Prayer
by Clarence Haynes Jr.
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.” - Psalm 24:3-4
SOMETHING TO PONDER
Sometimes it's very easy to do the right thing for the wrong reason. If you don’t believe me, just consider the Pharisees. They followed the Law of Moses; that’s the right thing. However, they loved practicing the law so everyone could see them; that’s the wrong reason. This idea of motives leads me to ask you a question. Why do you do what you do? While you may not be able to answer that for every situation, the truth is that something motivates each thing you do. The challenge with motives is that they are subtle, and sometimes the reason you do something may not be clear to others, not even to yourself.
However, when you come before God, that entire dynamic changes because God can see through your actions and look directly at your motives. We may shield them from others and may not even recognize them in ourselves, but we can’t do that with God. When you come before God, your heart and motives are laid out clearly to him, regardless of your actions. That’s why it makes no sense to hide them because he already knows what they are. For this reason, the best way to approach God is like the psalmist wrote. With clean hands and a pure heart. There is no better time than the Easter season to examine our hearts as we remember our Savior who died for our sins. Yes, even the sins that come from the motives of our hearts.
How do we approach God with a pure heart?
A pure heart does not mean a perfect heart, but it means a broken, contrite, and repentant heart. It is the type of heart that acknowledges when there is something wrong, motives are off, or there is something sinful in your heart that does not belong there. Upon recognizing it, you run to God, asking him to address the condition of your heart. This is the pure heart God desires.
Here is the amazing thing about God. If you sit before him, he will reveal the condition of your heart. He will show you not only when your actions are off, but also when your motivations are off. This happened to me recently while praying, and my response was to address the condition of my heart before the Lord. This keeps my heart pure before him. A pure heart keeps no secrets, no separate agendas, and is honest before God. When you approach God from this place, he will always welcome you in.
Challenge your whys.
Whenever you are doing anything for the Lord, always take a moment to remember why you are doing it. Check your motives. If you are giving, are you doing it with the right heart? If you are serving, helping, working, whatever you are doing, is it coming from the correct motivation? When the motivation is right, then continue. But if it’s not, be honest enough to admit it and bring that struggle to the Lord. I promise you he will not despise you, and he will welcome you into his presence.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Lord,
You know me inside and out. You know what I do, but also the reasons why. I ask you to search my heart and reveal my motives. Father, whatever you reveal, give me grace and humility to repent and change it. Let it be that I would not only do what is right, but that I would do it for the right reason. For anything I have said or done that has come from a wrong motive, forgive me and cleanse me, so that my heart before you is pure and my hands before you are clean. Help me to always serve you from the right place, where your glory matters more than anything else. In this season and in very season let me lift up your name Jesus, because that is the only name that will ever save.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. Wrong motives are just as bad as wrong actions, as neither one is pleasing to God.
2. When wrong motives are discovered, repentance should quickly follow.
3. Doing the right thing with the wrong motivation can cause you to lose your eternal reward.
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Olga Chetvergova
He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose, which helps readers understand how God leads them into his will, and the author of The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has released his first course, Bible Study Basics, to achieve that goal. To learn more about his ministry and resources, please visit clarencehaynes.com.
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Originally published Monday, 09 March 2026.
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