We continue with Psalm 51:12
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew within me a steadfast spirit.
Remember that David was chosen
by God, a fearless warrior, a great and powerful king and a virtuous one at
that. His prayer was sublime and eloquent. He was the composer of most of the
150 psalms we have; in fact, this particular psalm was his psalm of repentance
when he realized what wrong he had done.
And the great and almighty are
fallen. David reached the heights of human perfection, but was brought down low
by temptation to the point where he was guilty of adultery and indirect murder.
(See II Samuel 11 and 12.)
If such a thing could happen to
David, what might happen to us. Every single day, it is God’s grace that keeps
us from falling into decadence and depravity, and we must always remember that,
especially when we are tempted to judge people who have fallen prey to what is
the worst in human nature. “There but for the grace of God go I” must be our
constant prayer.
Notice in these verses that the
first one speaks of the “heart” while the second one speaks of the “spirit.”
These two words are used interchangeably in the scriptures. “Heart” generally
refers to what is particular to the body while “spirit” refers to the
supernatural part of our being. What David prays for in this verse, and we as
well, one commentator says, is a “total renovation of his entire mental
and moral nature, which he recognizes as corrupt and depraved.” (See www.biblehub.com/commentaries
for excellent information about any passage of Scripture).
Do we sometimes perceive our
natures as corrupt and depraved? If not, we still must recognize that no matter
how “well-off” we think we may be in the spiritual life, it is possible for us
to fall as David had fallen. And at that time, we need not lose hope, for God’s
love is greatest for those who are most in need of his mercy. “Lord
Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” We can pray
no more honest prayer than that. It also helps to consider Saint Peter, who
also fell in a horrible way, but yet was restored by his Lord who asked him,
despite everything, “Do you love me?”
One final observation: David
prays for a “steadfast” spirit. The Hebrew word used here means “firm, constant
or steadfast.” What David is praying for is a spirit so fixed and unmovable
that it will not easily be shaken in time of even the most powerful
temptations. Something for us to pray for as well, is it not?
God bless you.
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