Day 16. Restore the Joy

"Clear out the joy stealers"

If you are familiar with the Book of Psalms, you might well recall the time when the Psalmist David beseeches God to restore the joy of his salvation. Looking at the context of his situation, we find he'd lost his joy because he had done a few things that went totally against his own conscience, not to mention the Royal Law of Love. And until he brought the wrong-doing out into the open for it to be dealt with, he was robbed of his joy.

Sometimes we may need to ask ourselves if the reason our joy is missing is because something is out of order in our lives. Maybe there's a strain in a relationship from an unkind word flung out in the heat of the moment. Or, we've left a good deed undone. Perhaps we've allowed minor irritations and petty grievances to make a home in our hearts and now they have turned the tables and agitate our souls like sand in our shoes.

Restoring our joy can be as simple as recognizing those niggling 'joy stealers' and taking action right away to put things back in order. Make things right. Clear the air.

Lord, as we bring these joy stealers out into the open, we ask for mercy.

Cleanse us and restore to us the joy of our salvation.