The Joy of Salvation

by David Jeremiah Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Psalm 51:12  We all know this well-known proverb: “You never miss the water till the well runs dry”—and some of us have experienced it. We never realized what a great friend a person was until they moved away. We never realized the blessings of our church home until a relocation took us to a new city. And, it’s possible, we never realized the joy of our salvation until we found ourselves without that joy.

That’s what happened to David, the king of Israel. We know of his sins: adultery with Bathsheba and complicity in the murder of her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 11–12). It was not until Bathsheba bore David a son that he repented of his sins. For almost a year, he lived without the joy of his salvation—possibly described in Psalm 32. In Psalm 51, we have David’s heartfelt prayer of confession to God. And in verse 12 we have his request for what he had lost: “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.” It’s easy to take salvation for granted. But when sins, attitudes, and behaviors lead us into darkness, we suddenly realize what we have lost: joy. Fortunately, joy is only a prayer away.