April 18, 2024

Psalm 51.12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

There must be sorrow over sin if there is going to be genuine change of heart.*

Is it possible to have salvation without its joy? And doesn’t it seem a little bit wrong to ask God to restore the joy of salvation when he didn’t steal it from us?

 

David lost the joy of his salvation when he sinned. We know that he committed the Big Ones – adultery and murder - so we think, “Sure. Of course he lost his joy.” But Jesus said that if we hate and lust we are as guilty before God as David is. (Matthew 5.21, 22, 27, 28.) We are as liable for our joy-robbing sin as David was, but God restores our joy when we repent.

David goes on to ask for a willing spirit. It seems that it would take a willing spirit to desire a willing spirit. The problem with our willingness is our ability to maintain our interest in it! There are several translations for this phrase and I have no idea which one is closest to David’s true meaning but I like the version that says, “Let a willing spirit uphold me.” Isn’t that what we need – a willing spirit that is willing to continue to be a willing spirit?

Repent from your sin and let God restore your joy. Ask for a willing spirit that lasts.

Joy is a mark of a healthy Christian.*