‘Restore’

‘Restore’

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Psalm 51:12

David had known days of spiritual blessedness in the past. He had had great joy in salvation. Alas, for the moment, that joy was gone. He had sinned grievously and was now repenting earnestly. He wanted desperately to have God restore unto him the joy of His salvation. David associated this restoration with the work of the Holy Spirit. Hence, he follows his request for restoration with the prayer, ‘and uphold me by Your Free Spirit.’ This is the logical follow-on of our consideration from yesterday. When the Holy Spirit withdraws in grief from providing for us the comfortable sense of God’s Presence our souls grow very dry and barren. When He takes the things of Christ and shows them unto us, it causes the desert-like conditions within us to utterly change.  Where there was sorrow, there is joy. Where there was barrenness, there is fruitfulness. Where there was darkness, there is light. This is the result of the Spirit’s work. This enables us to again have fellowship with God and to walk in the pleasant garden with Christ, Our Beloved. It is good for us to understand the difference between going on in our hard-hearted pursuit of selfish sin and the blessed enjoyment of the comfortable presence of God, with restored joy, and the upholding of God’s Free Spirit.

Our Good and Loving God,
we praise You that You are ever-ready to restore us.
We rejoice that this restoration, which You perform in us by Your Holy Spirit,
brings unto us true and lasting joy.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning