PSALM 51:10-11 | A LONGING FOR A CLEAN HEART

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." Psalm 51:10-11

Create in me a clean heart, O God...

What David realized that it was necessary for him to humbly ask God to make his heart pure and clean. That’s it, a new clean heart. It’s anticipation of what Ezekiel 36:26 says:

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."

And renew a steadfast spirit within me...

A new and clean heart David wants and along with it is the steadfast spirit within him. What he understood is the reality that he further his life in living a Godly life without a fresh change of inner attitude. By praying for this, he expressed a humble reliance upon the LORD.

“‘A steadfast spirit’ is needful in order to keep a cleansed heart clean; and, on the other hand, when, by cleanness of heart, a man is freed from the perturbations of rebellious desires and the weakening influences of sin, his spirit will be steadfast.” (Maclaren)

Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me...

How important for David to experience God's presence in his daily life. He could not imagine even in a single minute that the presence of God and the Holy Spirit will leave him that will result in a miserable life. This phrase is also an expression of his genuine reliance upon God. For him, the whole point of cleansing and restoration was to renew his relationship with God. David didn’t want a God who cleansed him yet remained distant.

We all like David. In our daily walk with God, that sense of longing to have clean heart should be our utmost passion. It is indeed a cry of every heart for God to make His presence available especially in times of deepest agony in sin.