Psalm 51: 10-13
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.
Restore to me the joy of Your Salvation,
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
And the result will be:
Then I will (be qualified to) teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You.
This is the song David wrote, When Nathan the Prophet came to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba (Psalm 51: Title).
David had seen God take His presence and His Spirit away from King Saul, who had such a good beginning. But Saul didn't continue to trust God, and ended up with a demon spirit, driving him insane.
David instead humbled himself before God, confessed his sin, and sought God's forgiveness and favor.
And the result of this was that David would be able to testify of God's great mercy and grace to others who also need His forgiveness.
This is the attitude we all should have, who have experienced God's forgiveness. We also need to testify of God's amazing love and grace, which He offers to every member of this race we call Mankind.
Dear Father, thank you for all You have planned, all You have accomplished so far, and for all you will complete of Your purposes for everything You have created. You do nothing without purpose, and Your purpose for us is to know You. You have revealed Yourself to us in so many ways: In Your Word, in Your Living Word Jesus, in the natural world You placed on this Earth, in the heavenly array of the cosmos around us, and, not least, in our human spirits where You have placed Your own Holy Spirit.
O Father, please continue to draw me ever closer to You, ever searching Your Word and Your Words in all You have made. Help me to want You more than just Your gifts. Help me to want Your Son more than the Salvation He provides. Help me to want Your Spirit more than the knowledge He teaches me.
You have been so good to me, Father, so merciful and gracious. You sent Your Son to be with us as one of us, and He prayed that we could be with Him where He is (John 17:24). So You provided for Him to be sin in our place, so that we could be Your righteousness in His place, on His Throne with Him (II Corinthians 5:21). This is incredible!
I know that You are God, there is no other. You do the impossible that we cannot. You do everything You have decided to do, all Your will. And You will accomplish everything You have planned, to fulfill all the purposes for which You made everything.
Help me, Father, to testify to others of how good and gracious and merciful You are; to show them how You have already met all their needs, as You have mine, and You want them to also know You in the way that You will show Yourself to each and every one that You call to Yourself.
You have chosen to glorify Yourself in us, and I am Your bondslave; sustain me with Your willing Spirit to obey You, doing Your will for me, to promote Your Kingdom and Your rule over all.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
