August 13: Thoughts on Psalm 51:10

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
~ Psalm 51:10

"create in me a pure heart, O God"

We try so hard to make ourselves righteous, to make ourselves good. This is a worthy cause, but it's one we can't accomplish without God's help. When we face temptation or see impurity within ourselves, we should pray that God will wash it away and replace it with the good. Our hearts are impure by nature, but through Christ they can be made new and pure. God can create purity within us if we ask Him, if we let Him.

"renew a steadfast spirit within me"

When we start out on our Christian journey, most of us do so with a passion, with fire, with zeal for what God has in store for us. Then time and work and life get in the way, and the fire dims. Sadly, we seem to forget everything the Lord has done for us. While in the beginning our spirits were steadfast in following the Lord, as time passes, if we're not careful, we lose our vision and we lose our direction. We wake up one day and realize, all of a sudden, how very far away we've gotten from God. So we need to ask Him to help us get back on track.

What's a steadfast spirit? Steadfast means "fixed in direction; steadily directed; firm in purpose, resolution, faith, or attachment; unwavering; firmly established." In other words, a steadfast spirit is one that stands firm against temptation, has a vision about where it is headed, and allows the Spirit of God to direct it.

So how do we go about getting a steadfast spirit?

First, we must remember why we want a steadfast spirit in the first place. We must remember why we are Christians, why God is worthy and deserving of our honor and praise. He created us, gave us life, watched us sin and throw it all away, and then gave us life again in the ultimate act of love. Think of it. The Creator of the universe cared enough about you in particular to die for you. That's amazing stuff, and it's why we're Christians. We love Jesus because He first loved us.

Second, we must ask God to make it possible. We must ask for His direction in our lives and accept it when it comes. We need to mean what we say. If we say, "Lord, if this man is not the man you have chosen to be my husband, please show me," then we can't go getting mad at the Lord when He shows us! If we want to yield to the will of God, we have to accept that His will is higher than our will, and that what we want is not always what's best for us. Sometimes this is painful, but in the end, if we're mature about it, we can rejoice because the Lord cares enough for us to save us from ourselves sometimes.

Third, we need to get back into the Word of God even more heavily than we already are, and we need to go deeper into prayer than we ever have. God does speak audibly to some people at some times, but the most reliable way to hear from God in any given situation is to read His Word. It's valuable, profitable, because it teaches us about God's mind and His Spirit. God is the ultimate in steadfast. In Him there is no variableness or shadow of turning (James 1:17). God doesn't change - He's the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He knows what He is doing. He is fixed in direction, firm in purpose, unwavering, and firmly established. If we want to be steadfast, the Lord is definitely our model for that. God is forever speaking to us through the Bible, and if we listen, we can learn a lot about how to be faithful and steadfast right from the source.