"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."
{Psalm 51:12} (NIV)
Psalm 51 is the prayer of a person who has seen their sin, is sorrowful for their sin, and is seeking restoration of their right relationship with the LORD. Church people use the word ‘penitent’ to describe such a person; our Lord used the word ‘blessed’ in his sermon on the mount to describe such a person.
A blessed and penitent person desires the presence of the Holy Spirit (they WISH for it) and so they come to God in humility seeking God’s mercy, grace and power. They come with their spirit BROKEN (vs 17) realizing that they don’t have any capability to change themselves, apart from His power being at work in their spirit.
A blessed and penitent person asks God first to make their spirit steadfast (vs10) and then to make their spirit willing (vs12). This is a prayer for inner change! "Lord please purify my heart and cause my spirit to be steadfast (cause my inner self to be completely focused on pleasing You). Lord, please restore to me that joy of knowing that I am Yours, and that You are mine. Please give me that joy again, and then cause my spirit to be willing."
A blessed and penitent person knows that they need God’s help in order to even WISH to drink from the water of life.
Oh Father, please make my spirit both steadfast and willing this day.
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