A Clean Heart

“Create in me a clean heart, O God.” Psalm 51:12

King David wrote this Psalm after realizing his sin against God. He lusted after Bathsheba, had her husband killed, then married her. In Psalm 51, David recognises his sin and his guilt before God. He asks forgiveness and asks to be cleansed. Then he promised to teach sinners the ways of God. 

There are many ways people realize their sin against God. One of the Youth for a Mission workers in the Middle East met an Isis fighter who converted to Christianity. This man had enjoyed violently killing many Christians already. Before murdering one man, his victim said, “I know you will kill me, but I give you my Bible.” He started reading the Bible and one night, he had a dream about a man dressed in white. “You are killing my people.” After that, his hard heart softened, and he began to feel guilty and sick to his stomach about the atrocities he committed. Jesus continued to appear to him. In one dream, Jesus invited him, “Follow me and be my disciple.” 

According to YWAM missionaries, many in the Arab world are quietly following Jesus. They watch services on TV and serve communion to each other. It can cost them their lives if they openly proclaim their allegiance to Christ! 

Jesus calls each of us to follow Him and be His disciple. It will not cost us our physical life if we say yes to Jesus, but it will definitely change the very essence and meaning of our existence!