Psalm 51: 10
Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
I have been taken by Psalm 51 this week. It seems every word is speaking to me. Today’s verse, taken in context is about restoration from a fall. David sinned and the guilt of it weighed upon him. He seemed to think He needed God to create a new, clean heart within him.
I think we can also view this passage more broadly and that is the way it has affected me. What I hear in this, rather than a washing because of sin, is a remaking in His image. I feel like we all encounter those days when we sense the need for a reworking of our hearts. That doesn’t have to mean anything is wrong with us but rather that our desire to commune with the Lord has increased and that increase is beyond our current boundaries. Our hearts call us forward. They sometimes launch us out into the deep where we are at once overwhelmed but then almost immediately comforted by His presence. It is the being in over our heads which is often the most comfortable place to be because we are fully reliant on Him. There is no illusion that we are able to care for ourselves or to do what He has called us to do. While that may initially be alarming, ultimately it is the place of greatest ease. It is where our hearts long to be.
In our heart of hearts, the deep place of our being, we long to be in over our heads with God. Our spirits ride on the waves of His support. While this can be frightening to our worldly self, our spirits crave the adventure. We want to run and jump into the water which is far over our heads. Then we marvel as the Lord holds our hand and leads us, walking on the water, to the far shore.
Renew us Father, so that the desire for you is all encompassing. Revive the zeal within us which once sustained us. Show us your glory and be with us all.