Psalm 51:12 "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."
David was deeply troubled when he wrote this Psalm. It is understood this
Psalm was written after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. But sin,
in general, produces the same results within our hearts and minds. Prior to
this verse, David is asking the Lord for forgiveness and cleanness of spirit.
He is very heavy in his spirit because he had transgressed against God's law.
It is very important to understand what David is requesting in this verse. He
is not lamenting because he lost his salvation. It is impossible for one
who has been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ and born of the Spirit of God
to lose his/her salvation. Let me give a couple verses that prove what I just
said. Read the words of Jesus with me, "My sheep hear my voice, and
I know them, and they follow me: (28) And I give unto them eternal
life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand. (29) My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and
no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." (John 10:27-29)
Nothing can take us from the hand of Jesus. Nothing can cause us to lose
our salvation. Through the work of Jesus Christ and His shed blood, our home in
heaven is secured.
The law of God says in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall a matter be
established. So let's look at one more witness. "For I am
persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, (39) Nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) Let us
be established in this great truth. No child of God can ever lose His
eternal salvation.
"Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free
spirit." So what is David asking of God? David had lost the
experience of joy in the Lord. If you have ever lost that joy, you know
how serious a matter this is. Though Satan cannot rob us of our eternal
life, he can make life miserable for us. David felt himself falling farther and
farther away from the fellowship of the Lord. Please Lord, "restore
unto me the joy of thy salvation." Salvation is intended to be a
joyful experience for God's people. David had lost that and had become miserable
in his life. You can read the entire Psalm to see what David was experiencing.
His deep desire of heart was that God would cleanse him of his unrighteous
actions.
I close with one more passage of Scripture that is a great encouragement to us
when we give in to the enticement of sin. "If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) Let us strive to walk in full
fellowship with the Lord, but understand His grace and mercy never fails.