Create In Me A Clean Heart

 Create in me a clean heart O God, and create a steadfast spirit in me. [Ps 51:10]

I prayed this morning on the commute to the office from Runaway Bay. Little did I know what God had in store. The first conviction came just about the time I reached Weatherford,. Heart wrenching conviction. I felt sick at my stomach because of the sin. That was only the beginning. 

Conviction continued once I arrived at the office. Wave after wave of conviction. Painful remorse and repentance followed. Most of the sins brought to my mind by the Holy Spirit were unnoticed by me. When I wrote each of them in my journal, just seeing them on the printed page made it even more sobering. 

David knew about conviction of sin. That is the whole context of the Psalm 51. He prayed for a clean heart. That means He asked God to forgive him and make his heart bright, unadulterated, and uncontaminated. How many walk day after day just like I did with sin crouching at the door. Worshipers with contaminated hearts. Followers with adulterated hearts. How often do any of us slow down long enough to allow the Lord to shine His light on our hearts.  God desires clean hearts. Do we desire that for ourselves. 

David went on to ask God to renew a steadfast spirit in him. To renew means to repair. Each of us need some repairs made. We need to clean house. To dig deep in our souls. In those repairs God may have to remove some things. He also might have to add some things as well. The removal of things is both messy and painful. The pain is the pain of a skilled surgeon who is removing cancer from a diseased body. 

We all need a steadfast spirit in us. We need a firm spirit. A strong secure standing. Once our hearts are cleansed we must trust God to help us stand firm in holiness. God can help us do that. He can help us live with a clean heart. He desires it. Just read [I Peter 1:15-16].