A root of sin has taken hold of me lately. It became blatantly obvious when the least bit of stress would cause me to say things I don’t normally say and act ways I don’t normally act.
When I realized it through the reading of Scripture, I was distraught over my actions. I began repenting to God and trying to mend the relationship. I know I am forgiven because of the blood of Christ, but the guilt was still wrecking me. (That, my friends, was not from Jesus. It was the enemy seeking to accuse me.)
I happened to be reading a book that had an entire section on David’s sin with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 and David’s prayer of repentance in in Psalm 51. I have read that Psalm a million times. I have even sung it in choir anthems. The words are familiar – maybe too familiar. But the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see something new.
My husband is preaching through Genesis 1 about how our God of wonders created the world and how science fits into that account. When speaking of Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” he mentioned that the Hebrew word for created signifies only something God can do. God alone creates something out of nothing. He spoke, and there it was. That is how He created all that is.
The book I was reading took me step by step through Psalm 51, and I was riveted, making notes in my Bible so I could remember what stood out to me. The writer’s commentary on v. 10 floored me. You might remember that David prayed, “God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” That word create in Psalm 51:10 is the same word in the Hebrew as Genesis 1:1.
It may not hit you the same way it hit me. But the Lord showed me that He made the entire universe, so He can certainly make a new heart in me! Wow. What a thought! He loves us so much that He is willing to use His power to do wonders in us as well. What a gracious God!
And what’s even better is that because of Jesus, He will re-create a clean heart in us as many times as we ask Him to. What great mercy. When it’s done, David says we need to “…teach the rebellious His ways, and sinners will return to Him.” (Psalms 51:13 CSB, my paraphrase)
If there is sin in our lives, we are not hopeless. We have the great opportunity to be re-created by the God of wonders who spoke the entire cosmos into existence.
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