“Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.”
Psalm 51:12
King David prayed the words above following his great sin with Bathsheba. I always assumed David lost his joy because he sinned, but I now believe it is equally true that he sinned because he lost his joy.
Maintaining our relationship with Christ keeps us experiencing joy (a fruit of the spirit). But it is also vital for keeping us safe and protected from sin. When sin reigns, there is no joy.
Salvation brings the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which, in turn, produces fruit: love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
We sustain that joy by abiding in Christ: placing ourselves in His presence, reading His Word, regularly spending time in prayer. You most likely could add other spiritual disciplines to the list.
The life of an abiding believer is characterized by a daily time set aside to be with Jesus. You may call it your devotion (time devoted to Jesus) or your quiet time (time to silence the distractions of the day and focus on Him). Whatever we call it, making this time holy — deliberately setting it aside each day — is key to sustaining our walk with Christ.
Every relationship requires an investment of time to grow. Our relationship with Christ is no different. Joy comes with salvation, but it is sustained by devotion.
And yet, we are human. We become distracted. We read the words while our minds think ahead to the tasks of the day. Our commitment wavers. We skip a day. Then another. We are out of fellowship and vulnerable to sin.
It happened to King David. It can certainly happen to us!
When we wander far and yield to temptation, David’s prayer can become ours: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation…” Easy words to pray. Powerful words when prayed sincerely, because repentance brings the restoration of joy.
But the prayer is a two-parter. David also prayed, “…and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.” You and I can also ask God to transform our hearts and minds — to give us the “want-to” (what David called, “a willing spirit”).
Sustaining our joy is all about maintaining the relationship. And perhaps sustaining is most challenging — and never more needed — than when life is exceedingly full or particularly hard. Like during the holidays. Like living in a pandemic. Like when life is lonely or sad or desperate.
Whatever your status in relationships, finances, or health … whatever the balance in your checking account (or the total of your unpaid bills) … whether your calendar is filled and overflowing or all white space … the real question is: what is your joy status? Are you abiding in Christ? Every day? Moment by moment? Are you in a sustain-joy mode or a restore-joy mode?
Whether life is full or not-full-enough, are you abiding in Him? If there is no Jesus, there can be no joy. But if you know Jesus, you know joy!
I pray that your December is filled with joy because you are abiding in Him. May you have the “want-to” — the willing spirit — to sustain your relationship with Jesus. I hope this month’s Write the WORD bookmark might help, and I invite you to download this free tool and begin writing the WORD every day. The focus for December? JOY!
If you missed last week’s Martha Monday video, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to check out my introduction to the monthly ‘Do It’ List — another free resource that you can only find here from Cross My Heart! If you’re like me, you probably find that December is often hectic, which makes it perfect time to jump into the ‘Do It’ List and learn some of my hard-earned strategies for taming chaos at home.
