Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Psalms 51:10 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.51.10.NLT

Have you ever really blown it? Have you made the kind of mistake that you know is dead wrong. A choice that is very damaging to you and all the people who trust you. And yet, knowing that, you chose to do it anyway.

When the reality of these actions has sunk in, there becomes a real desperate crying out, “How does this mess I have made get cleaned up?” The cry of the heart is real. There is the need for restoration.

Restoration is about bringing someone or something back to a better place that reflects original design or purpose. Its meaning is beautiful.

In Psalm 51, King David came to terms with a huge mistake in his life that cost the lives of others. He cried out to God for restoration. He recognized that no amount of effort on his part was going to work until two things were restored in his life:

• A clean heart: There is no amount of effort that can overcome a heart that is not focused on living right. There is no amount of religion or sacrifice that overcomes a heart bent on doing wrong. David recognized that the source of his mistake was acting on wrong desires of his own heart. He asked God for a clean heart.
• A loyal spirit: Staying loyal to God involves having a spirit every day that seeks to live in the ways God teaches us to live. Living with a spirit that is lifting up God one moment and defying God the next does not work. David understood this from his own experience. He asked God to restore a loyal focus to his life.

Restoration in relationships will always include re-establishing a clean heart and a loyal spirit. No amount of effort will matter unless the heart and spirit are taken care of first.

Encouragement: God likes to restore. There is nothing you have done that He is not willing to restore. Just like King David, ask God for a clean heart and a loyal spirit and God will provide restoration for you.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for making it possible to be restored. Thank You Father for reaching for our heart and spirit.  Thank You Holy Spirit for working deep within us, guiding us in re-establishing our lives in a way that reveals God’s amazing love for all of us.

In Jesus name,

Amen

-Ed McDowell, Executive Director
Warm Beach Camp and Conference Center