With Easter being this past Sunday, as Christians we consider this season like the Super Bowl. Celebrating Jesus’ death and resurrection can reignite our faith like few other moments. Stoking the flame of the joy of our salvation empowers us to keep running the race with perseverance (Heb. 12:1-3).
Psalm 51:12-13 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
This verse points out two thoughts I believe will help us decipher what portion is God’s and what is our part. This is a prayer to God, the writer King David is asking God to
1. “Restore to “him” the joy of God’s salvation...”
I can relate with King David’s prayer as I’ve been saved nearly my whole life. My first memory of praying for salvation is from 5 years old and Thirty-four years later, I’ve learned that multiple things cause us to lose joy, excitement, and spiritual passion. It’s amazing to feel the experience of God’s salvation yet, I’ve found that spiritual apathy and unforeseen circumstances affect that feeling. If you find yourself in that same place, this verse gives us hope! It shows us we can ask God to restore that joy in our lives!
There are intentional steps we take to keep our faith alive and well, like reading the Bible, prayer, going to church, and spending time with other Christians and we should never underestimate the importance of those steps. Even still, after we do the necessary things, we must remember the best thing we can do is to stop trying to muster up the “feeling” in our own effort.
At Be the One we hold the value to “Seek Him.” Engaging in our relationship with God through prayer can supernaturally ignite what we could never accomplish in the natural. In these moments, joy becomes so much more than a feeling. Next time you pray, skip the laundry list, and go straight to “Restore in me the joy of your salvation…”
Here’s my challenge you:
Grab your journal and rewrite the story of how God has saved you! Write stories of how God has intervened in your life and ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of moments of His work that you may have overlooked. I believe the best place to start is to remember your own story! Don’t minimize it. Don’t compare it. Just write it down, and most importantly, thank Him for it!
Another great way to see our joy restored is to hear other people’s stories of God’s salvation. Do you have someone in your life that you look up to in the faith? Ask them to tell you their story of how God saved them. Watch how your own faith is encouraged.
Next week, I will be sharing more of Psalm 51:12-13 where David is praying “uphold me with a willing spirit.” Getting back going (restored) is only the first step. We want to have what it takes to keep going! God is not finished with your story yet. The highs and lows we go through in life leads us to more incredible stories to tell about God’s faithfulness. - Katie Sexton// Co- Founder of Be the One Ministries
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