Create in me a clean heart, O
God, and renew a right spirit
within me.
PSALM 51:10
Bold, audacious prayers can
scare us, but it is the bold,
audacious prayers we need to
pray to see our lives change.
In prayers like I welcome
your major realignment, we
bow low, deferring to God’s
life-changing authority. To
welcome Jesus to do His
work in us is not just to say, “I
won’t resist you, God.” It is to
say, “I will turn the porch light
on, be waiting with eager
anticipation by the door to
swing it wide and invite You
in with open arms. And then,
once inside, You do whatever
You deem best to transform
this place. I won’t stand in the
way, offer suggestions, or try
to stop You in Your process.
You, God, know what’s best.”
Most of us have to come to
crisis points in life before we
are willing to utter such strong,
humble prayers. Yet were we
to pray them regularly, let God
clean us up and realign us
daily, we would be the better
for it. Psalm 51 was written
after the prophet Nathan con-
fronted David over his sin with
Bathsheba and subsequent
sins to cover it up (read the
story in 2 Samuel 11-12). D