“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 ESV)

After David repented of his sin of adultery, he prayed that God would “create” in him a “clean” and pure heart. The Hebrew word for “create” is the same as is found in Genesis 1:1 (בָּרָא, bera), “In the beginning God ‘created’ the heavens and the earth.” David wasn’t asking God to clean up his heart. He was asking God to give him a new and pure heart, one that would have a “right” and steadfast “spirit.” He longed to have a heart that would please God. This is a prayer and a spiritual longing that has been answered in Christ. Those who come to Jesus are made a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).