In Psalms, chapter fifty-one, verse eleven, David knows that if God removes the Holy Spirit’s presence from his life, all hope of redemption is gone.
Then David asked the Holy One, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” This confession is significant because what David had within him is holy. When a person decides to commit something ungodly, which results in sin, the Holy presence of God will not remain. Light and darkness cannot operate in the same body. Either we love the world or love God. Have the presence of God or the existence of the ungodly.
Therefore, we cannot leave one foot in God’s presence and the other in an ungodly atmosphere. As in Revelation three, verse sixteen, “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” God will not tolerate in between. He will turn them over to the tormentors. All who come to God are either all in or all out.
The theme verse is “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.” David knows how vital the presence of God is because of spiritual benefits. The presence of God was there when he defeated Goliath in First Samuel seventeen, verses forty-five through fifty-one. The presence of God allowed David to escape Saul twice: In First Samuel nineteen, verse ten, David escaped the javelin. Then, in verse twelve, Saul sent messengers to his bed but escaped through a window.
These memorable examples of David indicate to him how much the Holy presence of God is needed in his life and essential in the lives of all believers. There are certain things only the Spirit of God can do that no other power can do.