Renewing Your Heart Condition

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

— Psalm 51:10

Kathy woke up feeling exhausted and overwhelmed each morning. Her town had been ravaged by a tornado, and the needs seemed endless. She was thankful that her own home had remained standing, even though it needed a number of repairs. At least her family could live there in the midst of all the work.

But she didn’t feel she had the strength to help neighbors and friends, who had lost everything. She woke up every morning cringing and complaining to herself about everything that still needed to be done.

Most of us know that feeling. Maybe we haven’t survived a natural disaster, but sometimes life feels like one. The little things can build up, and managing even one more feels insurmountable.

When King David wrote Psalm 51, he knew a thing or two about disaster. After all, he’d royally messed up. He’d gotten a woman—who was not his wife—pregnant. He’d tried to cover it up and ended up killing her husband. He needed a clean start and a clean heart. And more than that, he needed a right spirit. Some Bible translations say a “steadfast spirit.”

We need that kind of spirit too. We need spirits that don’t lose purpose, that remain determined to follow God and pursue His will—even in the face of challenges. So how do we find that steadfast spirit? We ask God for it. David did, and God was happy to give it. He’s just as happy to give it to us when we ask.

Today’s One Thing

Pray Psalm 51:10 each morning, and ask God to give you a steadfast spirit in the face of a challenge in your life.

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