Restoring My Joy
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“Restore to me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:12
My friend is usually joyful and singing. She always has a song in her heart which jumps out in her voice. Her spirit radiates the light of Jesus from her heart. She has lived with Jesus in her heart all her life. Being with her always fills you with an excitement to live life to the fullest. You have no doubt that God loves you and is with you when you are in her presence. But my friend is struggling with illness and losing strength in her spirit. She has no song in her head and is unable to sing. Her joy is resting deep within her.
We have all been in this place at some time in our lives. Some of you are fighting your own battle with illness, disease, cancer, and other physical struggles. You are afraid to admit some of your feelings – “what did I do to deserve this? Why me? How can I keep going with all this pain?” You may not have an illness you are physically fighting, but you may be fighting emotionally within you. You are struggling with day-to-day life. Your anxiety gets the best of you some days. Your depression keeps you from interacting with anyone. You feel lonely and alone and joy is a stranger.
Grief may have become your unwelcome friend, and it follows you everywhere you go. You may be trying to live into this different life, but it is not the life you planned. You will always love your special person, always miss them, and miss the life you had and who you used to be. You are trying to move forward in life. You are trying to build a new way of life around the hole in your heart. Joy comes in moments but is quieter.
Some of you may just be existing in life. You have a routine. You interact with friends and family. You have favorite shows you watch. You eat and take walks and take care of your home. Life is fine, but joyful? Not the word you would use.
Maybe we need to listen to the Psalmist who prays – “Restore to me the joy of thy salvation.”
To restore is to bring back or to return to its former condition. To restore joy means that joy has been within us. Nehemiah 8:10 says – “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” It is God’s joy that is within us. We don’t create joy, but we choose joy. That is, we choose to allow the Lord’s joy to fill us. God restores us to how He created us – full of joy. To be restored means that we have hope in what we cannot see, feel, or believe could actually be true.
Joy is a gift from the Holy Spirit. It is a deep sense of well-being not dependent upon our circumstances. Joy is focused on faith in God and choosing to trust God in the struggles and suffering of life. Yes, easier said than done. Our head knows this truth, but our hearts don’t feel the joy. We can believe it when we are not going through the suffering, but when we are in the midst of the pain, heartache, and struggle our focus becomes the physical. We are trying to just survive the daily issues.
This is where we need to allow those around us to be our help and strength. Allow others to pray for you and over you. Your faith is not weak even if your body is. Your faith is more than a feeling, and it is still within your spirit. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:16 – “Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day.” God is restoring our spirit daily because it is God’s Spirit that is within us. You don’t need to do the work; God is the One working within you. It is trusting God even when we don’t feel His presence, see any changes, or even have the energy to pray or think about God. God already knows your spirit. God knows your faith. God knows your struggle.
God is restoring your joy. When you cannot sing, God will sing over you – Zephaniah 3:17 – “God will rejoice over you. You will rest in his love; he will sing and be joyful over you.” Allow others to sing over you, too – whether physically with you or on your playlist. Allow music to come into your spirit. Music is the universal language of joy. The rhythm touches your spirit. Just be in the moment and allow the music and the words to say what you cannot say and to restore you in the moment.
In our restoration, we are seeking peace which is an inner contentment. It is knowing your circumstances may not change, but it is just taking deep breaths and breathing in the Holy Spirit. Words are not necessary. Jesus brings his peace – “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Let not your hearts be afraid.” John 14:27
Peace is joy resting. I am learning to rest in the peace of Jesus. Some days, the joy feels hidden inside, and other days joy jumps out in the moments that I live in the present. Joy is more than being happy – happiness depends on circumstances and material possessions. Joy is deep within when we focus on Jesus who gives us the fullness of joy.
Joy is peace dancing. Peace is joy resting.
