In Genesis 1:1 scripture says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” So simply stated, “God created.” The Hebrew word used here is “bara”. It means to create out of nothingness. Only El Elohim, the Lord God Almighty can “bara”.

I was reading Psalm 51 this week. Verse 10 says: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me, O God…” I wonder how many times I have asked God to do that for me. To make my heart “new”. Until this week, I didn’t have a real understanding of what that truly meant.

If only our Father God can bara, we have no part in the creation of this new heart. He makes all things new, not us. In the past I thought Father would take this heart within me and make that heart all new and shiny…without sin. But that is not what the scripture is saying. It is saying that our Father out of nothingness will create a new heart. That old heart isn’t there anymore. The new heart God has “bara” in us is the heart we now have.

Wow, just wow…

But the next phrase, “And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”, renew my spirit…make it steadfast…I can’t know for certain, but it seems a big waste to receive a brand new heart ,a heart our Father has “bara” in us and then turn around to fill that heart with stuff that moves us away from our Father God. A heart running after idols.

I think that is the cry for me, to have a spirit that is steadfast…not a spirit that turns to false gods. I can be certain our Father can and will give me a new heart…I must labor to be steadfast. Not allow this renewed spirit to become weary again with things that are not of God.

Will I fail? Probably. But praise Him, when we were forgiven, grafted into the family of God, our sins are forgiven. All of them. Old sin. Current sin. Future sin. As extraordinary as that is, it’s just another merciful gift our Father blesses us with.

A new heart created within us.

A steadfast spirit.

Forgiveness…Restoration…