Restore the Joy
Restore the Joy. In Psalm 51 we have the confession of King David after a very grievous sin. Not only do we understand that King David wrestled with his sin just as we do our own, but we also see that God not only gave forgiveness, but also a return of the joy of his salvation.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Psalm 51:10-12, NKJV
Restore the Joy
A very dear college professor of mine said that one of the proofs of the Bible is that the Bible reveals the sins of the people instead of just showing their good side. I think that is truly a good point. In Psalm 51 we have the confession of King David after a very grievous sin. Not only do we understand that King David wrestled with his sin just as we do our own, but we also see that God not only gave forgiveness, but also a return of the joy of his salvation.
No
matter how hard we try, we can not make our hearts clean! We do not
live one day without putting black smudges all over our heart. Cleanness
of heart can only be created by God. Nothing we do deserves this
miracle of God; it is truly a gift from Him with no strings attached.
Sin does, however, separate us from God. David felt this separation when he cried out to God, Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. We know from reading the Bible that God did forgive David, but David still had to suffer the consequences of that sin.
How often in life do we experience the same thing and not necessarily because of some great sin we have committed? How many times do we come to God and feel as though our prayers to Him just bounce off the ceiling?
Just the daily hum-drum of life--both the good and the bad--are enough to keep us from experiencing the joy of Christ 100% of the time. What are we to do? What did David do? David asked God to restore the joy of his salvation. God wants us to realize that when everything is going well, it is because He is working in our lives and blessing us. We must learn, like David, that joy in Christ is a gift from God and not something we earn.
Pray, today, with David, Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. That is a prayer that God will answer! Let us pray to God, "Restore the joy ." Then, let us see how He answers that prayer. Could it be that simple? Actually, yes is could!
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