Listen>https://youtu.be/MfBcdYCJ4Ys?si=-V8zYJpSQ9mU3hT1
Clean Heart Rising
Have mercy on me, God,
according to Your loving-kindness.
Wash me clean, wash me deeper still,
I’m coming with nothing but this brokenness.
Against You, and You alone,
I’ve carried what I cannot hide.
Truth in the inward parts,
teach me wisdom in the quiet of the night.
Purge me and I’ll be clean,
wash me and I’ll be whiter than the snow.
Let these bones You’ve broken sing,
let the sorrow finally let go.
Create in me a clean heart,
renew a right spirit within.
Don’t cast me away from Your presence, Lord,
don’t take Your Spirit from me again.
Restore to me the joy,
the joy of Your salvation.
Hold me with Your willing Spirit,
lift me from this desolation.
Then my tongue will sing aloud,
my lips will open wide.
You delight in the broken spirit,
the heart that’s crushed but still alive.
Create in me a clean heart,
renew a right spirit within.
Restore to me the joy again,
and I’ll rise, I’ll rise, I’ll rise.
STORY BOARD
SONG OVERVIEW
Written and produced by Tasmanian Songwriter Jason Bresnehan, Clean Heart Rising is a piano-driven Christian ballad based directly on Psalm 51. The song explores repentance, confession and the desire for spiritual renewal.
The lyrics closely follow Psalm 51, one of the most powerful prayers in Scripture. The singer approaches God honestly, acknowledging failure and seeking mercy, cleansing and restoration. The song moves gently from brokenness towards hope, concluding with the repeated declaration, "I'll rise, I'll rise, I'll rise."
Within the four-song Psalm series, Clean Heart Rising is the starting point. Before rescue can occur, honesty must arrive first.
THE FORGIVENESS JOURNEY
Clean Heart Rising forms the first song in a four-song Psalm journey exploring repentance, mercy, rescue and restoration.
Clean Heart Rising (Psalm 51) is the prayer of repentance.
Hope in the Depths (Psalm 130) explores waiting for mercy.
Lifted from the Pit (Psalm 40) celebrates rescue.
Hiding Place (Psalm 32) concludes with forgiveness and peace.
The journey begins here. Before restoration comes honesty. Before renewal comes confession. The singer arrives before God with nothing hidden and asks for a clean heart and a renewed spirit.
MUSICAL DIRECTION
The song is built around piano, raw vocals and a restrained arrangement that allows the Psalm to remain the focal point.
The performance begins quietly and intimately before gradually opening as the themes of mercy and restoration emerge. Rather than aiming for dramatic triumph, the arrangement emphasises sincerity, reflection and emotional authenticity.
The repeated phrase "I'll rise" serves as the song's turning point, signalling hope without diminishing the reality of the confession that came before it.
THE ARTWORK
The artwork presents a grand piano standing alone on a snow-covered mountain beneath shafts of sunlight breaking through the sky.
The imagery reflects the Psalm's themes of cleansing, renewal and grace. The snow connects to the Psalm's promise of being made "whiter than snow," while the descending light symbolises mercy reaching into human weakness. The mountain setting reinforces the sense of spiritual elevation that follows surrender and forgiveness.
PERSONAL CONNECTION TO JASON BRESNEHAN SONGWRITER AND PRODUCER
Psalm 51 has long resonated with Jason Bresnehan because of its honesty.
The Psalm does not minimise failure or attempt to explain it away. Instead, it begins with confession and places trust in God's mercy. Those themes hold particular significance within recovery, where healing often begins when truth is spoken openly and responsibility is accepted.
For that reason, Clean Heart Rising became the natural opening song in the Psalm series. Every journey toward restoration begins with a willingness to be honest about where we stand. The song's central message is simple: renewal begins when a clean heart is sought before anything else.