Restore The Joy
Week Two: Clean Heart, Willing Spirit
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10–12
Okay, let’s see a show of hands who has struggled with joy this week?
Isn’t that often how it goes? The moment we say we’re going to “work on” something, we find ourselves tested in it. That was me this week. But I’ve been quietly repeating to myself Psalm 27:13 “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” And verse 14 is just too good not to say again: “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.”
I would be amiss if I ever portrayed that I have life all together or that I don’t have to sit before the Lord and process everyday life. Sometimes that means asking Him to clean out this old heart of all the junk I’ve allowed to pile up, to steady me again, restore my joy, and renew my willingness to obey. Honestly, this has become one of the most life-giving practices I’ve instituted.
If you memorized Psalm 16:11 with us last week, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” King David knew the joy found in the presence of the Lord and Psalm 51 shows us he also knew the misery of walking without it. Oh, But God reminds us in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Our normal practice is to reflect on what we know or are learning about the character of God. But maybe this week, we will shift the focus slightly. Maybe we pray specifically about our hearts and the restoration of joy. Maybe we even courageously ask God to reveal any sin that is hindering our relationship with Him. And taking it one step further, maybe we bravely ask one or two trusted friends to pray that God would reveal sin in us and give us hearts willing to obey whatever He asks.
Opening your heart like that can feel scary. Even as I write this, I pause. But I know the God of compassion and mercy (Exodus 34:6). And I want everything He has for me. So, Lord, create in me a clean heart. Renew me. Restore me. Sustain me. Give me a willing spirit to obey Your every word.
Oh, thank You, Father, for Your love. Thank You that You lead us down paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Thank You that You are full of grace and mercy. This week, make us more aware of Your presence, so aware that before we even speak, You cause us to pause. Remind us of our words, our actions, even our facial expressions. Reveal the areas in our lives that do not please You and restore to us the joy of Your salvation.
Amen, Amen and Amen.
Let’s carry our memory verse with us this week, literally. Perhaps in your pocket or make it a screensaver for the week. Let it be more than words we memorize. Let it become the quiet prayer beneath our thoughts. Whisper it in the car and pray it before hard conversations. Repeat it when you feel your joy thinning and turn the worship music up.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10–12
May this be the week we trust God to do what only He can do in our hearts.