Sept 4th, 2021: Psalm 51: 10-11

 "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."


What is a pure heart? A heart knows what is evil. It is aware of its spiritual brokenness and bankruptcy and longs to see God. It is kind and compassionate towards others. It seeks no evil. It walks away from what is damaging to life and beauty. King David identified himself with these conditions intimately.

A steadfast spirit wants to be right with God, knowing that it has to work through many struggles. Some people use words such as immovable to describe such a spirit. It learns how to wait for God. It trusts in God for what it doesn't know. It will be willing to suffer with God because of His love for the world.

The worst fear, King David had, was God would cast away His presence from him. Being disconnected from God is like living outside the covenant that God has given us. We as nations have decided to do that in some ways. We don't want God's presence in our human affairs, and that is increasingly so. God might just grant us our wish. That will be horrified.

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