Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Psalm 51:11 ESV

     Psalm 51 is the prayer of repentance David prayed after being confronted by Nathan the prophet for his sin with Bathsheba.  When reading this Psalm in its entirety you feel David’s emotion and regret because of his sin against God.  One particular plea David makes before God in this Psalm is not to remove His presence nor the Holy Spirt from him. (vs11)  David, in his life, had experienced an awesome relationship and walk with God.   In fact David was referred to as a man after His own heart. (Acts 13:22)

       The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament enabled  people to accomplish the task before them.  In the New Testament the Holy Spirit indwells the believer.  Everything that David accomplished was because God was with Him and enabled Him.  I surmise  that David remembered the sins of Saul and how God dealt  with him,  removing Saul as king. (I Samuel 15.)  David’s greatest fear wasn’t that he would be removed as king, rather that God would remove His presence from him and take His Holy Spirit from him.   David knew what it was to be enabled by God.  He had killed wild beast, stood against Goliath,  and was a mighty warrior in battle…….all because God was with him.  The fear of loosing that was overwhelming to David.   He didn’t request that God’s presence stay with him so that he might remain king.  He knew without God he was without hope and had no message.

      How might this compare with the Christian today.   What reaction should be expressed when sin becomes apparent in the Christian’s life.   Repentance should be the common reaction as David did in the Psalms 51.  Having the indwelling Spirit should bring conviction to the Christian.   When we repent, forgiveness is the reality, and we have a message of hope concerning a loving God. Then we can teach transgressors Your ways and sinners will return to You.( Psalms 51:13)   Live forgiven and on purpose for God, don’t let sin reign in your life.  Live a message of hope not defeat for Christians are more than conquers in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37)  Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4

Because ~ His Grace ~ Pastor David