#CLEAN ME SIGN FULL#

This kind of penitent prayer shows our awareness of a Creator-and a Redeemer-who can instill in us a right and pure heart, even after we’ve messed up. Repentance means changing one’s mind so that one’s views, values, goals and ways are changed and one’s whole life is lived differently.Īlthough this prayer was said under the Old Covenant, when sin was not yet permanently atoned for through Jesus’ death and resurrection, its intent and application for us today is that we continually confess our hearts to God and seek His restoration and renewal. When we repent, it means we not only agree with God about the heinous nature of our sin, but we are determining to start over and live a new life – one that is obedient and pleasing to God.Īs often as we might sin or start living for ourselves rather than God, we need to turn back and head in the direction God desires. This prayer is clearly one of repentance and confession, which God desires of us whenever we have become aware of sins that have affected our fellowship with God. Why Does the Bible Invite Us to Pray This Way? In other words, David was praying “Give me a strong desire to obey so I don’t break Your heart again.” Thus, David was asking God not to take away his service as the anointed kind of Israel.ĭavid asked that God restore the joy of his salvation, as he was likely tired of going through the motions and not experiencing the fullness and joy that comes from living uprightly with a clear conscious.įinally, David asked God to give him a willing spirit to obey. He also asked that he not be cast away from God’s presence and that the Holy Spirit not be taken from him.Īccording to The Ryrie Study Bible, in the Old Testament, the holy spirit was particularly related to service, rather than salvation. Then in verses 10-12 he not only asked for a clean heart, but for a renewed spirit, too. Let me hear joy and gladness let the bones you have broken rejoice.”ĭavid felt crushed under the conviction of his offenses against God. In verses 7-8, he begged God to “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Therefore his heartfelt prayer was “Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…” ( Psalm 51:4). In verses 2-3, he prayed: “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.”Īlthough David sinned against Bathsheba, her husband, and David’s other wives, he realized he ultimately sinned against God. David apparently knew the redirection of his desires and thoughts could only come about through the intervention of God, as well.ĭavid began his song by asking God to have mercy on him and blot out his transgressions. Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Kevin Valerio This Verse Invites a Radical Renewal from GodĪccording to Bible scholars, when David prayed “Create in me a clean heart” he used the same Hebrew verb that is used in Genesis 1:1 for the creation of the world, emphasizing that the kind of radical cleansing he needed could only come from God.

#CLEAN ME SIGN FULL#

It’s possible it was a full year or more from the time he first lusted after Bathsheba (a woman who was married to one of David’s “Mighty Men” referenced in 2 Samuel 23:8, 2 Samuel 23:39), to the day he was confronted by a prophet of God for taking another man’s wife and killing that man to cover up his sin ( 2 Samuel 12:1-9). Israel’s King David-known for his intimacy with God as expressed through many of the Psalms he wrote-experienced a season of sin in which he committed adultery and then murder to cover up his sin. This prayer, written in the form of a song, is found in Psalm 51:10, but the context of this request gives us greater insight as to why it was prayed. Where in Scripture Does it Say ‘Create in Me a Clean Heart?’ It shows what true repentance, remorse, and renewal look like. That prayer (written and sung thousands of years ago, and now a part of Scripture) paints a picture for us of the deep consequences of sin. If God has forgiven our sins – past, present and future – at the moment we repent ( Acts 2:38) and confess Jesus as the risen Lord ( Romans 10:9), is it really necessary to ask Him to create in us clean hearts?

I’m sure you’ve heard the prayer “Create in me a clean heart.” But why do we pray it and what are we really asking God to do? ' Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.' Psalm 51:10

Clean me sign