Restore to me the joy
“Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”Psalm 51:12
Reflection
Notice the verb David uses: "RESTORE unto me". He is not asking for a joy he never had — he is asking back for a joy that was his and that he LOST. David wrote this psalm after one of the greatest failures of his life, the sin with Bathsheba. And he does not ask back for the throne, nor the reputation, nor the material blessings — he asks back for "the joy of thy SALVATION". That is, salvation was still his; what he had lost was the JOY of it. It is possible to be saved and, at the same time, to have lost the joy of salvation. And David knew exactly what was missing.
This is an important and comforting distinction. When sin or discouragement steal our joy, it is easy to conclude we lost salvation itself, that God abandoned us, that everything is over. But David understood that salvation and the joy of salvation are distinct things. Salvation is secure, anchored in God’s grace; the joy of it, however, can be lost and recovered, depending on the state of our heart and our fellowship with God. A child does not stop being a child when he disobeys, but he may lose the joy of the relationship with the father until it is restored. David did not doubt he was saved; he missed feeling the joy of it.
And note to WHOM David directs the request: "RESTORE unto me". He does not try to manufacture the joy on his own, nor strive to "think positive". He acknowledges that the joy of salvation is a gift only God can restore, and so he ASKS for it. This is wisdom. When we lose our joy in God, the solution is not to strive more to be happy, but to return to the Source and ask Him to restore what was lost. Genuine joy is not a product of our effort; it is fruit of fellowship with God, and when that fellowship is restored, the joy returns.
See also the second part of the request: "uphold me with thy free spirit". David does not want only the feeling of joy back; he wants a restored heart, willing, that serves God gladly, and not out of obligation. True restoration is complete: joy in the heart and willingness in the will. If you have lost the joy of your salvation — if one day you experienced that gladness in God, that vitality in the faith, and today you feel dry, without enthusiasm, merely fulfilling religious obligations — pray David’s prayer. Do not conclude you have lost everything; your salvation is still secure. Simply ask back for what was lost: "Lord, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation". He is a specialist in restoring hearts. The joy that went out can be rekindled — and the way back begins with that honest request.
Prayer
Lord, I confess I lost, somewhere along the way, the joy of my salvation. Not the salvation — which is secure in You — but the joy of it, that gladness, that vitality in the faith. I cannot manufacture it alone, so I ask it of You, like David: restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. Restore my heart, Lord. Amen.
Put it into practice
If your faith is "dry", without joy, pray David’s honest prayer: "Lord, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation". Do not try to manufacture the joy by your own effort — seek to restore the FELLOWSHIP with God (repentance, prayer, Word), from which the joy naturally springs again.
To reflect on
Have you confused the loss of the JOY of salvation with the loss of salvation itself — and what needs to be restored in your fellowship with God for the joy to return?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).