Instead of a Car Wash, Maybe You Need a Heart Wash
Psalm 51: Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions,
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity
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.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
Save me from blood-guilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
One of the leading causes of death is heart disease. This is true physically and spiritually. When David asked the Lord to search and clean his heart, I think we often think of this like a good car wash or something, but this is a lot more like a super-natural heart transplant surgery. The care of our hearts begins first in the spiritual and then the physical. Many leading physicians will say that the leading cause of heart disease is stress. Stress always occurs when we are outside the plans and purposes of God.
Is your lifestyle “stressing" your heart?
Psalm 73:26:
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
We are all going to die. Sorry for the buzzkill. But it is critical that we remember that fact. We cannot let our life be an idol. Self-preservation is the ultimate Holy Spirit killer. Your flesh will eventually fail. You will die. Are you living that way? And, let me remind you that eternity is a lot longer on the other side of physical death. Are you storing up treasures in heaven? Or building a temporary empire on Earth? I have heard it said this way: Are you decorating your hotel room?