by Dr. Paul Chappell

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee."

Psalm 51:10-13

Prayer connects even the weakest Christian with the strength of the Creator of the world.

Prayer is a special part of the Christian life. Not only is it our chance to talk with God and connect with Him, but He also speaks to us through prayer. Many times in the Bible, God encourages us to spend time with Him through prayer. He longs to hear from us, to converse with us, and to spend time with us, His children.

God desires to hear from us every day, many times a day. Notice David's prayer in Psalm 51. While it is a prayer of confession and restoration, David outlines a daily prayer many of us should pray to God every day.

Create in me a clean heart. David desired that God would wash clean his sins and give him a second chance. Even so, many times sin can build up in our hearts. Daily we must approach God with the desire of a clean heart, asking Him to forgive our sins and wipe clean the slates of our hearts so we may serve Him.

Use me in Your holy plan. David goes on to say, "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me." Because David had sinned, God had every right, in His justice, to cast David away, to stop using him. Yet David begged God to continue to use Him. How often God could toss us aside due to our sin, yet God continues to use us despite our imperfections. Each day we must pray for God's continued use of our lives. God wants to hear our desire to be used of Him.

Fill me with your joy. Yesterday we saw that sin steals joy, but a life lived in obedience to God gives eternal joy that cannot be replaced. Living in a sinful, joyless world can sometimes dampen our joy or distract us from God's happiness. Daily praying for God's joy and focusing on His goodness will help renew the joy of the Lord in our lives.

Help me to show others Your love. "Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee." David's desire was for his mistake and failure to be an example to others. He wanted to continue serving God so others would come to know Him. Even so, our prayer should be that God would use us-even our mistakes-to point others to Him. One of our main purposes on earth is to tell others of God's love, to show them His work in our lives.

Daily God desires that you would meet with Him through prayer. He wants to hear from you, His child for whom He sacrificed His Son on Calvary to redeem. As you spend time with God, pray that He would wipe clean your heart from sin, use you to accomplish His will, give you unending joy, and help you show others the depths of His love for them. As you daily meet with God, seek that above all else, He would be glorified through your life and even through your mistakes.

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
Numbers 26-28 | Mark 8