Joy of Our Salvation

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Scripture: Psalm 51:12 (NIV)

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

Devotion:

            This psalm is a cry that rises from deep within David’s heart. It is a prayer of someone who has walked closely with God, but has drifted, stumbled, and fallen to the temptations of the flesh, the world, or the devil. They are not, however, words of despair. They are words of profound hope because they are spoken to a God who delights in restoring what sin tries to steal.

            This request for joy is not a request for some shallow, transient happiness or good feeling, but comes from a longing to return to close fellowship with God, who is love. David, you see, remembers what it was like to walk as a man after God’s own heart. He remembers what it was like to awaken each day with a heart firmly anchored in God’s mercy and to walk each day delighting in the knowledge that he was loved. But now sin had clouded that joy; however, it had not destroyed it. David believes that God can restore it. Salvation is entirely a work of God. Our efforts can never bring it about.

            David also asks for a willing spirit. He is eager to obey and follow God’s leading. A willing spirit is not stubborn, fearful, or resistant. It is a spirit that displays grace, forgiveness, and gratitude. David is not asking for a fleeting feeling; he desires to be changed. He wants his heart to be fully devoted to God. He desires to be a faithful follower of his Lord.

This verse speaks to all of us. If we have walked with the Lord for any period of time, we have known seasons of dryness, weariness, and distance. God restores us. God does not simply wipe away our guilt when we sin: He rekindles joy. God does not leave us to struggle alone; He comes to us in our despair and lifts our spirits. Indeed, He sustains us with the Holy Spirit. Living the Christian life is not about trying harder and harder, but about returning to God after every sin, the One who renews us from the inside out.

When we pray this psalm, we are asking God to do what only He can do: to increase joy where it may have faded, strengthen willingness where it has weakened, in order to draw us closer to Himself. It is a prayer that He is only too happy to answer. Shall we pray?

Prayer:

            Heavenly Father, restore to us the joy of our salvation. You and you alone can put the joy of salvation back into our hearts. Help us to be willing to return to you each time we fail to obey your word. May we be faithful and useful servants in the world. May we be humble enough to seek you at all times. In Jesus name we pray it, Amen. 

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