If you could go back and undo one thing you’ve done, what would it be?

Most of us can think of something.

A harsh word spoken in anger. A decision we regret. A relationship we damaged. A sin we wish we could erase from our memory.

One of the reasons Psalm 51 has resonated with believers for thousands of years is because it comes from a real failure and it’s something we can all related to.

After David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his arrangement of Uriah’s death, the prophet Nathan confronted him. David could have denied it. He could have made excuse or blamed someone else.

Instead, he repented.

Psalm 51 is his prayer.

What stands out is that David understands his deepest problem. He doesn’t simply ask God to remove the consequences. He asks for mercy. He knows He doesn’t deserve anything. If he’s going to be forgiven, it’s only because of God’s mercy.

I’d normally say something like, maybe you’ve been there before. But I already know. You have, whether you realized it or not. We all have. None of us deserve forgiveness or to be released from the consequences of our sin. It’s always only by God’s mercy that we are forgiven.

Thankfully, God is a merciful God and loves to forgive those who turn to Him!

And then he asks for something only God can give:

“Create in me a clean heart.”

Notice the word “create.”

David doesn’t ask God to improve his heart or help him clean it up himself. He asks God to create something new.

That’s an important distinction.

We often think of repentance as promising to do better next time. Certainly, a changed life should follow repentance. But repentance begins with recognizing that our problem runs deeper than a bad decision here or there.

Sin has affected us through and through at the heart level.

And if the heart is the problem, then only God can truly fix it.

The good news is that God specializes in creating.

In the beginning, He created the heavens and the earth out of nothing. Through the prophet Ezekiel, He promised to give His people a new heart. And through Jesus, He does exactly that.

When Christ went to the cross, He wasn’t paying only for individual sins. He was making sinners new. Through His forgiveness and the work of the Holy Spirit, He creates faith where there was unbelief and life where there was death.

The God who can create a universe just by speaking creates a new heart in you, one that has faith in Him and is repentant.

That doesn’t mean Christians never struggle with sin again. David certainly did. We do too. Our sinful nature still exists alongside that new heart.

But it does mean that when we repent, we don’t come to God hoping He might give us another chance.

We come to a God who delights in showing mercy.

A God who forgives.

A God who creates clean hearts.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

I confess that my sin runs deeper than my actions. I need Your mercy and forgiveness. Create in me a clean heart and renew my faith through Your Word and Spirit. Thank You for the forgiveness and new life You give me through Jesus Christ.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.