In this reading, the psalmist wants nothing more than to be made new – to be cleansed of any stain of guilt or shame. For God to do this, we must open ourselves honestly before God, trusting that there is nothing that God has not already seen and that none of us is beyond God’s power to redeem. Before we can open ourselves before God, we must take an honest look at our own hearts.
An ancient practice that many continue today is called the “daily examen.” It involves taking time at the end of the day for reflection. The prayer journal I use invites me to ask these three questions during my daily examen: When did I see Christ? When did I deny Christ? When did I serve Christ? What practice do you have that makes space for an honest look at how you reflect Christ into the world?
Make time for that tonight and end your time by repeating verse 10 several times slowly: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.”
