SIN ROBS US OF JOY

Psalm 51:10–19
SIN ROBS US OF JOY
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (v.12)

Sin always makes us less than what we should be. Whenever we do something that we should not do, we lose something we should have. Sin always takes from us; it robs us, and impoverishes us.

One of the first things sin takes from us is joy. So rightly it is said, "There is no joy in sin." We may enjoy an initial thrill, a fleeting pleasure. But when that is over, we are left feeling empty, holding nothing but a burden of guilt.

King David took everything he wanted: Bathsheba's body, Uriah's life, the illegitimate son. As king, he had both the power and the means. But in the process, he lost the most important thing he had - the joy he once knew. Such is the folly of sin. We take what is forbidden to enjoy it, only to find that joy slips from us as readily as water disappears from a sieve.

So David prayed, "Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice" (v.8). He pleaded with God to restore to him the joy of salvation. Moreover, he asked for "a willing spirit", a word similar to that used of "freewill offering" (Ps 54:6). David longed for a spirit that is unfettered and free. Sin not only takes away our joy; it destroys all freedom and spontaneity.

A person with a guilty conscience can never be truly himself, since he must constantly hide a part of himself from others. The shifty eyes, the fidgety hands and the glances over the shoulders are all signs that fear has taken over the place of joy. What a price to pay for sin!

But when a willing spirit returns, with the confession and forgiveness of sin, we find resolve and confidence again. "I will teach transgressors your ways," David declared, "and sinners will turn back to you" (v.13). What a transformation - from one who is restored from sin to one who now restores others from sin! Such is the restored joy of a restored sinner.

Don't let sin take away your joy.