Friday, Feb. 28

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Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:10-12

This may be the best known and best loved part of David’s great confession Psalm.  I can’t help hearing the old Keith Green classic song from this text in my head.  However, as familiar as these verses may be to some of us, they contain an incredibly powerful truth about how our God treats sinners.  There are three basic prayers or pleas to God; Create in me, Cast me not away, and Restore me.  These three cries form the foundation of a heart truly seeking God.

Create In Me...
David asks God to create a new heart in him.  The Hebrew word used for create is the word ‘bara’, Bara' is used in the Genesis account of creation...”In the beginning God created (bara') the heavens and the earth.”  God created the world from nothing.  “I need a new heart,” David says.  “Create in me a new heart,” and the word create actually means “out of nothing.”  In other words, he asks for nothing less than a miracle, he desires what only God can provide.

In other words, there was nothing in David’s heart that God could use. He was not asking for renovation or reformation. He was asking for something new. Sometimes we hear the invitation, “Give God your heart.”  What do you think God wants with that old dirty, filthy heart of yours?  God is not asking anybody to give Him their heart so that he can clean it up or repair it. He wants to give you a new one!

C.H. Spurgeon writes, “Create? What! has sin so destroyed us, that the Creator must be called in again? What ruin then doth evil work among mankind! “Create in me.” In outward fabric, I still exist; but I am empty, desert, void. Come, then, and let Thy power be seen in a new creation within my old fallen self. Thou didst make a man in the world at first; Lord, make a new man in me!”

Cast Me Not Away...
Let me ask you a question; what is the worst consequence of your sin?  Most people tend to think of the consequences of their sin (if they think of it at all) in terms of earthly consequences.  We worry about what would happen if people found out; What would they think of us?  Would we lose our job?  Would it damage the trust in our marriage?  Of course there are very real earthly consequences for our sin, but these are not the worst result, not at all!  

Which are you more concerned about when it comes to your sin - other people finding out, or growing disconnected from God? 

David understands that nothing in this world is as important as the loving presence of God.  He knows that the one thing he can’t live without is the presence of God.  As David himself wrote earlier in the Psalms...

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  - Psalm 16:11

Restore To Me...
David asks God to bring back his joy and to give him a willing spirit.  Joy and willing obedience go together. When you enjoy doing something or when you enjoy the person for whom you are doing it, you serve willingly. David is saying, "I have been in bondage because I have not confessed my sin. Therefore, I lost my joy and my willing spirit. I lost that real delight that comes from obeying God." How can you restore joy? Confess your sin. Then look to Jesus Christ, not yourself. If you look at yourself, you won't rejoice. But if you look to Him, you will rediscover the joy of His salvation. God intends that you rejoice in your salvation.

When was the last time you felt the true joy of God’s salvation?  When was the last time you experienced the joy of knowing God’s loving forgiveness for you?

Has it been a while?

Well, let me ask you another question - When was the last time you poured out your heart in confession to Him?

Jeff Frazier