Joy Challenge Video Devotional - Day 4: Pastor Ryan Shook
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“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Psalm 51:12 (NIV)
The heart cry of David in his confession was for God to restore the joy of His salvation. Sin had robbed him of it and separated him from the God he loved. It left him miserable, feeling dirty, and ashamed. It does the same to you and me today. But Jesus came that our joy may be made full! In John 15:11 (NASB), Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
How, then, can we restore that joy when the killjoy of sin has left us feeling guilty, defeated, and discouraged? We’ve all been there because none of us is perfect. How can we get our joy back? This is one of the most essential lessons of faith we must learn as Christ followers less Satan derail us into a lifetime of regret.
Let’s look at this Psalm a little closer for the answer. David’s sin had affected his whole being. In verse 3 he says, “For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.” His mind was haunted by the regret of what he had done. Another translation says, “… my sin is always before me.” This is the consequence of sin in our lives. His heart and mind were broken, and he felt separated from God. As a Christ-follower, we know that sin doesn’t break our relationship with God, but it does separate our fellowship from Him. We lose our peace and our joy. That’s why David cried out in verse 12, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” The Hebrew word there for “joy” means “deep joy.” It suggests brightness, gladness, and rejoicing of heart. But David’s heart was far from such brightness. His soul was dark and joyless. He recognized the snare of temptation and felt trapped in sin. He was saying, “Oh God, may I love You so much that my strongest desire for sin will become as hateful to me as it is to You, that I may not be separated from You by yielding to it again!” This is the key to unlocking joy in our hearts. The central verse of David’s prayer is found in verse 10, when he prays, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” This was David’s prayer of confession. If his joy were ever to be restored, his heart must be made right. Only God could cleanse his heart of sin and renew a right spirit within him.
We know from another Psalm that God did hear David’s prayer. In Psalm 32, he would write, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” Psalm 32:1-5 (NLT)
Here's the vital lesson we learn from David. Confession restores joy! When we truly repent of our sin and confess it to God, He is gracious to forgive. In fact, the New Testament verse for this is found in 1 John 1:9. I call it the etch-a-sketch verse because when I confess my sins and turn from them to Jesus, like an etch-a-sketch, He puts those sins under His shed blood, and they disappear! 1 John 1:9 (TLB) says, “But if we confess our sins to Him, He can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. [And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins.]”
If your heart is burdened by sin and you long for the joy you once experienced in Christ, take a moment now to make your confession to God as David did. Be honest with Him. Turn to God from your sin and ask His forgiveness. Be specific. Do a thorough examination and bring every hidden thought and action into the light of His love and grace. Ask Him to cleanse your heart and renew a right spirit within you. Then, thank Him for hearing your prayer and forgiving your sin. Rejoice that your sins are forgiven, and your fellowship is restored! Experience His joy again! The slate has been wiped clean!
Printed copies of The Joy Challenge devotional are available at The Joy Challenge - Kerry Shook Ministries.