Morning By Morning #305

Renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

A backslider, if there is even a spark of life remaining in him, will look back after being restored and groan. A work of God’s grace is required in renewal just as in conversion, for we needed repentance then and we certainly need it now. We lacked faith in order to come to Christ at first, and only a work of grace like that can take us to Jesus now. We needed a word from the Most High—a word from the lips of the loving One—to end our fears then, and as we will quickly discover under the conviction of our present sin, we need it now. No one can be renewed without as real a manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s power that he needed at first, because the work of renewal is as great, and our flesh and blood are as much in the way as ever.

May your personal weakness, dear Christian, be an argument causing you to pray earnestly to your Lord for help. Remember, when David felt powerless, he did not fold his arms and keep quiet, but he ran to God’s “mercy seat” (Ex. 25:17 KJV) and cried, “Renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Never let the teaching that alone “you can do nothing” (John 15:5) put you to sleep, but instead let it prod you forward with an awe-inspiring earnestness to approach Israel’s strong Helper. May you have the grace to plead with God as though you were pleading for your very life, “Lord, ‘renew a steadfast spirit within me.’” He who sincerely prays for God to do this proves his honesty by using the very means through which God works. So “pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17), placing yourself wholly on the Word of God. Put the lusts that have driven you from your Lord to death, and be vigilant, watching for sin to raise its head again.

The Lord has appointed His own specific ways of working, so sit in His path and you will be ready when He passes by. Continue to follow His blessed prescribed ways, and they will nourish you forever. Thus, knowing all spiritual power comes from Him, never cease to cry, “Renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

David prayed Psalm 51 after being confronted with his sin by Nathan, the prophet of God. Not only had he committed adultery with Bathsheba but he also committed murder by killing her husband, Uriah, in an effort to cover up his sin. (See 1 Sam. 11:1 – 12:25.) Oh, if only we could truly grasp this truth: “You may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23)!

Thankfully, we have a God who desires that we be restored to cleanliness and righteousness and who has made a way for it. And we as His people are to get involved in the process, for we are told: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:1 – 2). We should always remember God’s goal for us is restoration, not condemnation, for “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).

Believer, are you struggling with the conviction of sin, perhaps believing you have done something so grievous it could never be forgiven? Remember this: God forgave David of adultery and murder, and “the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7)—not some.