Restore the joy of my salvation: the prayer I too often overlook

Why do I sin? It’s a question which people have asked since the dawn of time as they aim to understand that natural bent toward stuff which is not quite right which exists in all of us from birth. And I suppose that, at some level, it’s an honest question: it just doesn’t make any sense that we fall into the same sin, over and over, expecting it to result in something that we know it’s never accomplished before. But that’s the thing. We do expect that, this time, the sin will bring happiness, fulfillment, excitement, success. And it probably does, for a moment. But then that moment passes, and what are we left with?

In Psalm 51, David is crying out to the Lord for forgiveness following the whole incident with Bathsheba and Uriah. For weeks, he had successfully hidden his sin from everyone else. He may have even been pretty satisfied with himself for handling the situation so… gracefully. But when Nathan the prophet showed up, put his finger in David’s chest, and called him on the carpet for something only God could have known, that whole bubble didn’t just pop. It exploded.

And now, confronted by the reality and magnitude of his own sin, whatever semblance of joy David had known since that moment when he first saw Bathsheba and resolved to sleep with her was gone.

Here’s the thing. Sin saps joy. It’s not profound, but it is ironic. You see, how often have I gone off and done something that I knew wasn’t quite right, expecting that it would give me something that would result in joy. But it never does. Ultimately, the thrill and excitement, happiness and sense of success are fleeting when it comes to sin, and I find myself ending up with less than I had before.

But there is a solution. David understood it, but I know that I often forget it. Or maybe, more accurately, I succumb to Satan’s next temptation: to think that my sin somehow permanently disqualifies me from experiencing joy.

And make no mistake: that is a temptation. And succumbing to it is just as sinful as the initial sin that robbed me of my joy.

Now, I know, that sounds silly, but look again at what David says in Psalm 51. He prays for God’s grace and mercy, acknowledges his guilt, asks to be purified, and then calls in verse 8, “Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice” (HCSB). And again, in verse 12, “Restore the joy of Your salvation to me” (HCSB).

David asked for his joy – the same joy which he had known when dancing before the ark in 2 Samuel 6 – to be restored. Not only that, but he actually expected this prayer to be answered! Consider verses 13-15: “Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways, and sinners will return to You. Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise” (HCSB, emphasis added). The words highlighted indicate a cause-effect situation. The chain is kicked off by the restoration of joy and granting of a willing spirit in verse 13, and the effect is that David will teach, sing, and declare. There is no sense of possibility here; only certainty. David has asked for his joy to be restored, and he fully expects God to answer so he can do all these things!

If I truly believe that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful, then I should take that as a precedent to be followed.

When I sin, I should – no, must – ask God to restore my joy and then expect it to be done, and yet, how often do I totally forget that little bit? I say, “Lord, I sinned. I’m sorry. Forgive me please.” And then I pick up the guilt and shame, the sense of inadequacy and failure, and all the rest of the garbage that Satan subtly slides in at my feet.

Well, no more.

O Lord, I know that I sin. I know that I fail You. But I also know that You forgive and that, more than anything, You want to restore my relationship with You, including the joy that I am supposed to have as Your son. Lord, open me up to the full measure of joy and gladness which You would have me have. Heal the brokenness of my sin. Restore the joy of my salvation, as You did David’s, and give me the same willing spirit so that I can draw sinners to You, sing with joy of Your righteousness, and declare Your praise day and night. Amen.