for they will see God.
- Jesus, in Matthew 5:8
The act of praying brings focus to the heart. The more we pray-as-keeping-company-with-God, the more we experience a decluttering of the heart. This is the achievement of purity.
A pure heart wills one thing. (Kierkegaard) Sees one thing. Hears one voice. Is centered. Is not distracted by other voices. The achievement of heart-purity brings success in relationships, and in life. This is "One thing" theology.
Jesus said, "You still lack one thing." (Luke 18:22)
The blind man who was healed replied, "One thing I do know." (John 9:25)
Paul wrote, "One thing I do." (Phil. 3:13)
Peter counseled, "Do not forget this one thing." (2 Peter 3:8)
In 1 Cor. 2:2 Paul said: "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
"One thing" language is the discourse of the pure heart. In true prayer, we lay our Tweeter down.
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
2 There on the poplars
we hung our iPhones... (Ps. 137)
After years of praying and praying and praying, and getting alone with God, concentration and God-focus comes easier. One of the things God does in a praying person's life is strip away distractions. One dwells more and more in the clearing than in the clutter. God comes to pull us out of the clutter and escort us into his fields. There, we behold Him. There is where the pure in heart towards God are blessed.
