Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.

                                                                                                            Psalm 51:10-13

Following David’s appeal to God for mercy and forgiveness (Psalm 51:1-9), he now turns to a prayer that comes out of a heart of repentance. Repentance is “to change your mind.” Repentance goes far beyond confession in that it expresses a desire for the things of God that sin effectively blocks. Repentance is an attitude, a change of heart. It is not a promise to never fail again rather it is a heartfelt expression to God that you want His righteousness more than fleshly lusts and desires. It is fairly simple to detect a repentant heart in that the repentant person will not make excuses for their failure and will have a hunger for a spiritually healthy lifestyle. A lack of repentance is equally as easy to spot. Unrepentant people often exhibit an arrogant attitude, telling the world that they can live life on their own terms and that it is no one’s business how they live. David expresses the heart of a repentant man. I believe it is worth noticing that in David’s appeal to God, he asks God to do what only He can do.

(1) Create in me a pure (clean) heart. Although requesting a pure heart implies that David desires to avoid repetition of sin, at the point of repentance (moving from confession), his focus turns from his sin (adultery and murder) to reclaiming his role in service to God. All four of his requests are prerequisites for effective, Christian service. By asking for a heart changed by God, David is demonstrating his desire to reestablish his relationship with the Lord.

(2) Renew a steadfast spirit within me. Along with a heart that is pure, David asks for renewal. The idea of renewal is to bring about something once enjoyed. David had his focus moved from God to failure and now he is asking God to renew his steadfastness so that he could get back to the business of being God’s man. By asking for a renewed spirit of steadfastness, David is demonstrating his desire to reestablish his purpose in God.

Note: David prays for God to not cast him from his presence or take His Holy Spirit away. I do not believe that Christians need to fear the removal of God’s presence or Spirit from within them. Under the old covenant, the Spirit was sent among individuals. Under the new covenant, the Spirit is sent to abide within the believer. Jesus tells us that he will not leave nor forsake us and that He will be with us to the very end of the age (Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20).

(3) Restore to me the joy of Your salvation. David appeals to God to restore the joy he once enjoyed in his relationship with God. Sin is a sure joy killer. When we sin, we do not cease to belong to God but the enjoyment that comes from the Christian life can be greatly affected. There is no greater thrill in life than when we respond to God’s invitation to salvation. David wanted for that joy to return. By asking for restored joy, David is demonstrating his desire to reestablish his standing with God.

(4) Finally, David asks God to grant him the kind of spirit that is willing to persevere, one that sustains us through difficult times. This prayer, coming from a heart of repentance, was an appeal for God to create, renew, restore, and to grant willingness. Then, David says he would be able to teach others and then they would come to know the God that he so loved (Psalm 51:13). By asking for a willing spirit, David is demonstrating his desire to reestablish his mission with God.

Christians do sin and sometimes they do so egregiously. When this happens, a believer’s witness can often be affected, but it doesn’t have to be. If you have failed God and others around you, remember, David was hand picked by God to be His man and become the king of Israel. David’s sin, although appalling, was not the end of his effectiveness. We have it on good authority that David completed God’s purpose for his life. Paul, while preaching about Jesus, references David and how he indeed “finished the race” that God had for him (Acts 13:36). David took Bathsheba to be his wife and they had a son named Solomon. He would become the next king of Israel demonstrating that the kingship was not removed from David’s family line despite his sin.

Jesus died to pay for every sin that you and I will ever commit in our lifetime. As believers, we have been given the gifts of confession and repentance. Confession is acknowledging our sin to God and repentance is expressing a desire for more of Him and His righteousness. I believe too many Christians stay in confession mode far to long. In fact, I believe some believers get spiritually “stuck” there. What I mean is that they lament their sin but never receive God’s forgiveness. This leads to a failure to move into repentance. This plays out frequently in Christians who sense a call from God to a specific task, but fail to step out in faith toward that calling because of a failure in their past or even their present existence. David’s life should reinforce what we already know from scripture: God can use our failures to advance His purposes. So if you are “disqualifying” yourself from being useful to God, confess that to Him, receive forgiveness from Him, leave that transgression in the past, and move out with a repentant attitude, believing that God will complete what He has begun in you (Philippians 1:6).

Create…renew…restore…grant…then I will teach transgressors your ways! This is truly a prayer from a heart of repentance!