Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away
from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of
your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.
In order to appreciate these verses from the 51st Psalm, we
must first read it all.
And, in order to appreciate the entire Psalm, we must refer to the 12th
chapter of 2 Samuel in which the prophet Nathan was sent by the Lord to remind King David
that he had "done evil in the sight of the Lord." David had committed
adultery with Bathsheba and was guilty of the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite.
Instead of making excuses, David accepted responsibility and asked God
to have mercy on him. He asked for forgiveness but, more than that, he asked to be
cleansed and to be given "a new and right spirit" so that he would again
enjoy God’s favor.
We can learn something from David. Although our sins may not be as
grievous as those of David, we know that they are offensive to God. We, like David, desire
forgiveness. We, too, can be certain of God’s forgiveness if we sincerely repent.
And, like David, we ask God to change us, to keep us from sinning
again. But if we do sin again, we can also be certain that we are never beyond forgiveness
if we truly repent.
Heavenly Father, like David, we pray for mercy for our offenses
against you. We ask that you not take the presence of your Holy Spirit from us. We ask
this in Jesus’ name.
