"A Matter of the Heart" --by Margaret Slaughter

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” –Psalm 51:10 NKJV

“Change me, Lord!”  A plea we make often.  But do we really mean it?  We ask the Lord to change us, but we are operating under free will (the ability to act at one’s own discretion).  Acting under one’s own discretion means He cannot change a resistant being.  The declaration, ‘Change me, Lord’ does not possess any magical powers.  Rather, the declaration suggests submission.  Submission, and a repentant heart.  There are no examples in the Bible where Jesus forced anyone to follow Him or to change.  Any change was preceded by the person’s change of heart – voluntarily.

Our subject scripture is known as A Prayer of Repentance.  After David willfully sinned with Bathsheba, another man’s wife, he was confronted with his sin by Nathan the prophet.  David did not make excuses, point the finger, or lie.  He immediately acknowledged his sin saying, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Samuel 12:13).  The entire 51^st book of Psalm is David’s sincere ‘Change me, Lord’ moment.  Because of David’s sincere plea, he is known as a man after God’s own heart.

So the next time you declare, ‘Change me, Lord!’, examine where your heart is.

Margaret Slaughter