In our quest for a deeper relationship with the Lord, we have been talking about what genuine repentance looks like in real-time. And we found ourselves in the middle of Psalm 51, examining six key words in David’s prayer of repentance that show us how to not only receive forgiveness from the Lord, but how to experience His presence in the process. And, as a reminder, the six key words found in Psalm 51:10-12 are as follows:
Please Do: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and
Please Do: renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Please Don’t: Do not cast me away from Your presence, and
Please Don’t: do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Please Do: Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and
Please Do: uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
But what do these words mean? And how do they point us to a deeper Christian life of experiencing His presence when we come to Him in repentance?
After being confronted by the prophet Nathan, David pleads,
“Create (bārāʾ – to bring into existence, to create out of nothing, ex nihilo) in me (personal) a clean (ṭāhôr – clean, pure, genuine, free from moral impurity) heart (lēḇ – the immaterial part of man, the seat of a person’s mind, will, knowledge, volition, and emotions), O God (ʾelōhiym – the One True God, the Creator and Sustainer, the Sovereign One).”
He understood that he couldn’t make himself righteous through willpower alone. No, David needed God to create something completely new in Him that he couldn’t do by himself. The word “create” means to make something out of nothing, just as God created the universe by His word.
Likewise, we need the Lord to give us a pure, undefiled heart when we come to Him in repentance. On our own, we can’t clean up the mess inside us. God must perform heart surgery, transforming us from the inside out as we yield ourselves to Him.
David also prays,
“and (You) renew (ḥāḏaš – to restore, reestablish on a new or improved basis, to revitalize and make new or like new) a steadfast (kûn – to be marked by firm determination or resolution, to be unshakeable, to stand upright) spirit (rûaḥ) within me (personal).”
Though God cleansed David’s heart previously, he lost that wonderful experience through sin. Now David asks God to restore what was lost, to “renew” and reestablish the steadfast spirit he once had. David now understands he needs help staying firmly rooted in his commitment to the Lord because, left on his own, he will once again fail.
When we walk in sin and disobedience, we become spiritually unstable, often losing our zeal for God’s kingdom. But through repentance, God renews our spirit, revitalizing our passion for Christ and His righteousness.
Haunted by his grievous offenses, David worries about losing fellowship with God. So he implores the Lord to,
“Do not cast (šālaḵ – to throw, fling, to toss casually away, to dispose of) me (personal) away from...
