Sustain Me

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalm 51:10-12

Brett called me yesterday to tell me I needed to read Psalm 51 becuase, "it's awesome." I read through the verses of the chapter and felt stress melt away. It speaks on how we answer to God and only Him for our sins. It speaks on how we are sinful from the start and it is only God who can take us out of that sinful nature and into His light. Create in me a pure heart. I love this, God creates something unique in each one of us and in turn, at our request he develops FOR us a pure heart. Renew a steadfast spirit within me. Have you ever been so worn down by daily life you feel exhausted and can't shake the dismay within? I have this feeling a lot lately because of the mounting stress my job creates. I often forget to turn to the Bible and to God for renewal and refreshment. Reading the word and applying it to my life renewed my spirit and gave me a resolve that allowed me to reflect on the fact that with Christ at the center of every moment of my life, I can face and overcome anything. By admiting to him that I have been sinful in my response to everyday life by not turning to Him, I have allowed him to wash me clean and create the pure heart I so desparately need! Practicing the presence of God and desiring to be in His presence has to be the next step: "Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me."
Life can bring so much garbage and stress to us in so many ways that we forget to focus solely on Jesus and His grace through our faith. Sometimes when we get so caught up, we loop serving Christ and developing a relationship with Him into the mix. We look at reading the word and talking to Him as a chore and a burden. I clung to these verses as I read them and made them a prayer last night. "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." I prayed so hard that it might burn in my mind and soul forever that I be restored through His great grace and I felt the joy of salvation return to me at that moment. I often ignore the joy in serving Him and the peace I receive through walking with Him. I had to commit to being willing to allow Him to be what gets me through the junk this world offers on a daily basis.
I realized that being consumed with what others do and say is not even something I should allow to affect me. I came to understand that if I wanted peace in all areas of my life it would only come through Jesus Christ.