A Prayer For Spiritual Renewal

King David was a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22). Yet, he sinned. Perhaps the worst series of sins committed by David was his adultery with Bathsheba and his subsequent attempts to cover it (2 Sam. 11). When we sin, we stand in need of being restored to God, being spiritually renewed. Psalm 51 is David's prayer of forgiveness. From this prayer of David, let us note four specific renewals that are involved in being spiritually renewed.

Renewal of Personal Purity
David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me" (Ps. 51:10). "Create" is a term that is used for what God alone can do. It is the same term used in Genesis 1:1. Merely mending David's heart will not do. It must be created anew! Note the parallelism in this verse between "heart" and "spirit." These terms refer to the inner person. Our "heart" determines our actions (Pr. 4:23; Mt. 12:34-35). Thus, to cease from doing sin in our bodies, we must change our heart (cf. Mt. 5:21-22). True conversion must first take place in the heart (cf. Joel 2:12; Rom. 6:17). David knew that he had sinned and that only God could make him pure. God demands repentance and confession of sin. David did both in Psalm 51. "Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest....7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow....9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities" (Ps. 51:2-4, 7, 9). When we sin, we also need to repent and confess our sin to God. Remember Simon the Sorcerer. After trying to buy the ability to give miraculous gifts of the Spirit, he was told to "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee" (Acts 8:22). John said, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn. 1:9).

Renewal Of Divine Presence
Sin separates us from God! David knew this; hence, he prayed, "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me" (Ps. 51:11). One of David's most dreadful fears was being cast away from God. Note the parallelism between "thy presence" and "thy holy spirit." Earlier in his life, David received the Holy Spirit. "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward" (1 Sam. 16:13). David knew that God's being with him was conditioned on him being faithful to God. If David's sin was left unforgiven, he risked danger of the Holy Spirit departing from him, which is exactly what happened to King Saul: "But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul" (1 Sam. 16:14). If Christians are left with their sins unforgiven, they also are in danger of the Spirit departing. Deity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) indwells the Christian through his or her obedience to God's word (1 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 3:17; Rom. 8:9). However, if we do not live right, we will be "cast aways" from God (Jn. 15:6; 1 Cor. 9:27; 2 Jn. 9 cf. 2 Thes. 1:8-9). Spiritual renewal involves a renewal of God's presence, which is accomplished when we repent and pray for forgiveness!

Renewal of Joyful Enthusiasm
As David held his sin to himself, he suffered emotionally and physically. He wrote concerning this, "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah' (Ps. 32:3-4). Hence, in his prayer-psalm of repentance, David asked the Father, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit' (Ps. 51:12). Emotions are a vital part of spiritual renewal. Unless we are "fired up' about the gospel, how can we expect others to be? Of course, we must be cautious of emotionalism, because the gospel also involves the intellect. David lost the "joy of salvation' through his handling of sin. Sin will likewise make us miserable, until we are spiritually renewed! The "free [generous, NKJ] spirit' David requested refers to an enthusiastic and volunteering attitude. It is an attitude of cheerfully giving oneself up for God. Such a disposition will keep us in a renewed state (Ps. 40:8). How enthusiastic are we for God's work?

Renewal of Evangelistic Service
Only when one is personally pure through forgiveness of sin and walking in the light (1 Jn. 1:7), has the presence of Deity through obedience to the word of God, and has "the joy of salvation' can he or she be truly effective in personal evangelism. Hence, David prayed, "Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee' (Ps. 51:13). There is a connection between a joyous faith and a contagious faith, as there is a connection between experiencing salvation and leading others to it! "Teach" in this verse does not merely refer to the communication of knowledge and skills, but also, and perhaps primarily, refers to instruction in how to live (cf. Deut. 11:19). The words "restore" (Ps. 51:10) and "renew" (Ps. 51:12) are parts of the verb "convert." Note the parallelism between "teach transgressors" and "convert sinners," and note the relation this has to the Great Commission, "Go ye therefore, and teach [make disciples of, NKJ] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (cf. Mt. 28:19-20). We are not spiritually renewed unless we are evangelistically serving God!

Dear reader, have you obeyed the gospel? Have you been baptized into Christ? If not, why not do it today? Perhaps you would like to study more. Please let us know if we can help. Christian reader, do you stand in need of spiritual renewal? If so, why not be renewed today?