Psalms 51:10-13
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
There is such beauty and eloquence in what David has to say in this, my favorite Psalm. We can feel that pain and remorse that David shares as he pleads with God to forgive him and purge him of his unrighteousness. David, who loved God with all his heart, had tried to manage his life without God’s interference and had made a real mess of it all. He had committed adultery. He attempted to cover up the sin. He had then committed murder to conceal the attempted cover up. He was suffering because of his actions. His people were suffering because of his actions. There was nowhere else to point a finger. He had painted himself into a corner and everyone around him was paying the price for his sin. David had to step up and admit his guilt before God in the hope and desire the God would clean up the mess.
Every one of us falls short of God’s expectations. We decide that it really is not necessary to bother God regarding everything that we do, that there are things that we can keep hidden away believing that God won’t notice them. It is in those dark recesses that we make decisions based on our own greed and selfishness, things that feed our egos rather than glorify God. Because we are not allowing God to manage those dark places, we find ourselves making decisions that hurt both us and the people around us.
When David cries out “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation” we see a ray of hope, a light into those dark places. David is giving his sins and its consequences over to God asking God to cleanse him, to make him whiter than snow. In his grace and love, God forgives David just as he will forgive us when we ask. God loves us so much He gave us Jesus. Let us rise each morning and ask God to forgive our sin and renew a right spirit within us as we yield ourselves to His wisdom.