I am praying for a fresh wind of restoration to sweep through your soul this week. A wind strong enough to clear out the cobwebs of the past mistakes and regrets. I am praying that all your “what-ifs”, “if only”’ and “I should haves” go. None of them can change yesterday. And none of them are invited to rule today. What is done is done.
But today is new.
A new day to invite God in.
A new day to receive the grace already waiting for you.
A new day to embrace the hope you have in Christ.
David prays in Psalms 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (NIV)
Notice that David doesn’t asks for his crown back, public vindication or easier circumstances.
He asks for the joy of his salvation to be restored.
Joy is what rises when you know you are forgiven. When shame no longer whispers. When you are no longer hiding. Joy is the emotional evidence of restored closeness. It is the deep exhale of the soul that knows, “I am still loved.”
Then David adds, “Grant me a willing spirit.” He understands that sustained joy requires surrender and that a willing heart helps us from drifting back into independence.
If your joy feels thin right now, it doesn’t mean your salvation is gone, it may simply mean your heart needs to draw near again. Let God wash yesterday away and place tomorrow securely in His hands.
He has you.