10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10 NASB
Create In Me A Clean Heart
Is there any other singular passage in all of scripture that so well encompasses, so many truths, in so few words as that of Psalm 51:10? "Create in me a clean heart" is itself its own declaration as a sinful heart that is burdened with the self-seeking depravity of its own lusts. It is both a pronouncement and admittance that the state of my being is in contradiction to the will and desire of the Holy God to whom it cries. With these words, the heart has so realized the depths of its depravity that it knows it is unable to cleanse itself of the evil which it has become. And the impossibility of being able to rid itself of its unholy stature propels it to seek out another who can bring it to a point of sanctification. This heart has come to grips with its corruption and the need for its cleansing, fully aware of its unrighteous state.
O God
As the heart wrestles with a reckoning of its failure, it cries out not to another heart of its own kind nor does it seek sanctification from any other created being. Instead it calls O God to the only One who is able to take the unclean heart and turn it white as snow. With these words, the heart declares that it cannot make its own wrongs right nor can it devise a plan by which to rectify the subversion of its moral compass. Thus, it cries out for mercy in recognition of the only remedy for its burden. For without O God, the heart will remain unclean. But if only the Holy God will listen and respond to cry of this heart, I know that He will do in me what I cannot do on my own. I cry out to Him not only because I know that He can, but that He also will create in me that which is righteous and acceptable to His will.
And Renew A Steadfast Spirit In Me
"And renew a steadfast spirit in me" because without His help, my heart will fail, my spirit will fade. If only He would intervene and make in me what is not already there, a steadfastness to continue in His will, a desire to seek His path and trust His commandments. I know the spirit within me is neither disciplined to seek His face nor to learn of His ways. Indeed the purification of my heart would be but only a temporary settlement were it not for the introduction of a resolute, unwavering spirit.
Yet how I know, and I trust that the God whom I seek is willing and able to renew in my spirit a steadfastness towards He who has made me clean. For I am confident that this refreshed constancy will make me whole, it will guide me in my ways, and it will fulfill the deepest longings of my soul. So, I not only rest in that moment of convicting light, shining on the darkness of my heart, but I also trust Him to keep me steadfast, pressing into the future, never leaving me to my own demise.
Oh that my heart would discern the status of its state; that it would understand there is no other way to be made whole than to seek He who both created it and longs to give it mercy anew. That I would pursue the sanctification that is able to sustain and drive my spirit with mercies that are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). Oh, my soul! Trust in Him who has made all things new and who with the same breath that spoke the world into motion also commands over my heart the redemptive work of the blood of His Son.
That each morning I would wake to say, "He has created in me a clean heart and He has renewed the steadfastness of my spirit to walk in His ways".
Matt