“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” (Psalm 51:12, NKJV)

In Psalm 51, having committed adultery with Bathsheba, David then arranged for her husband Uriah to be killed, so that he could take Bathsheba as a royal wife (2 Sam. 11:1-27). The prophet Nathan found out Daivd’s sin, condemned him to his face, then pronounced God’s judgment upon him (2 Sam. 12:1-15). This psalm displays David’s deep sorrow as he confesses his sin to God.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” (Psalm 51:12, NKJV)

What David fears most is to be separated from God. He therefore asks God for a new heart, one that is free of sin, so that he might enjoy God’s presence and obey God’s law as he ought.

The prayer implies that he had formerly known what was the happiness of being in a state of having a good relationship with God. That joy had been taken from him by his sin. He had lost his peace of mind. His soul was sad and cheerless. Sin always produces this effect.

He prayed for a state of mind in which he would be willing and ready to obey all the commands of God, and to serve him faithfully. He prayed for grace and strength that he might be kept in a state of mind which he could be constant and firm, and a state in which he would always be found willing and ready to keep God’s commandments.

The only way for us to enjoy life is to do that which is right; the only way to secure the favor God is to obey his commands; the only way in which we can have comforting evidence that we are his children is by doing that which shall be pleasing to him.

It is therefore, proper that we should always desire to be restored to a life of joy and gladness. To always pray that we may be always kept in a state of mind in which we will be willing to do all that God requires of us, and to bear all that may be laid on us.

Sources:

MySword for Android. Riversoft Ministry, 2011-2019.

Olive Tree Bible Software, 1998-2020.

http://www.biblegateway.com

Published by Pastorbluejeans Unplugged

Friend of a Jewish Carpenter. View all posts by Pastorbluejeans Unplugged