"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:10-12)
Here we are folks, thirty days later (plus the two I skipped). Chances are you've heard this verse before. It's sung as an offertory for the third Divine Service setting in the Lutheran Service Book. It's almost curious to think of these words as a prelude to returning our gifts to God. Everything in it is a request, which may seem a bit of a selfish offering. But when you think about it, with these words we offer up our souls to be changed by God. We ask He work in us and continue to grant us spiritual gifts. Here we acknowledge how undeserving we are. And here we admit that we need the strength and healing that only He can give.
As I read this today I realized that the requests David brings before the Lord in this psalm were also on my heart as I started this blog. I knew that I had been wrong in so many ways and relied on everything else except God for help. I knew that I needed to change and remember where my strength and purpose comes from. I've come a long way, and I can only pray I've brought many of you with me. But no matter how far I've come, I still must bring these requests to my Lord daily. In fact, I can say with confidence that I will continue to need this prayer every day of my life. We are sinful beings, and apt to stray. But I can also say that God never withholds these blessings. As we come to Him in repentance, we are met only with love and forgiveness. When we seek out His Word and spend time in conversation with Him, we find the peace and renewal that we seek. We are reminded of the boundless joy that we have through salvation. We are sustained by the knowledge that He has worked faith in us, and will sustain it.
Some days I've had to force myself to sit down and write, while other days I've felt a deep need to dig into the Word. In all these days I have never regretted the time I've spent meditating on God's Word and sharing it with all of you. I have learned how much comfort can be drawn from God's Word. I have uncovered mysteries that we humans cannot understand. I have been reminded that God's love is balm for a troubled heart. And I have rediscovered that He is always offering guidance, and we need only to seek it. I'm not sure exactly sure how often I will post now, but I hope to do it more than I was before. Whatever happens, I hope you, like me, have been granted a "willing spirit" that will continue to seek God's will in all you do.
I leave you with the words of my favorite professor:
"God is much at work, even when you don't detect it."
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