Psalm 51:10–19 (ESV)
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; 19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Last week and now this week, we are talking about renewing our walk with God. From David’s prayer in Psalm 51, we can learn many things about what it means to renew our walk with God.

Last week, we examined David’s prayer of confession.

Now, we are looking at the results of renewal.

1. GOD GIVES US A NEW MAKEOVER (10)
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

2. THE HOLY SPIRIT’S PRESENCE AND EMPOWERMENT RETURNS TO US (11)
“Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.”

3. THE JOY OF GOD’S SALVATION IS RESTORED TO US (12)
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation..”

4. ABILITY FOR CONSISTENCY IS PROVIDED
In verse 10, David asked God to “renew a right spirit within” him. The word “willing” carries the idea of a fixed or settled spirit. The NIV uses the word “steadfast.” David not only wants a new heart, he wants a new spirit that is fixed on the ways of God.

In verse 12 he says, “uphold me with a willing spirit.” In other words, I want Your Spirit to make me willing to obey You and to please You in all things.

God can give us the fixed disposition on the things of God and guide our will to the heart of His will.

5. GOD CAN USE US TO TEACH OTHERS HOW TO WALK WITH HIM. This includes helping those who have turned from God because of sin how to return to God.

“Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.” (verse 13)

The beauty of this is that this is exactly how David uses this psalm to help others who had failed. Notice how the Psalm begins with a title. “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.” David allowed his failure to be so public that others could learn how to come back to God after having failed the Lord.