Nougat 20

Sometimes after all is said and done, even though we THROW our hearts to God, all isn’t well with our spirits. In those moments it’s worth asking ourselves if we have truly given everything over to Jesus. We also might wish to ask for divine intervention like David did with today’s Holy Nougat

“Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Restored Joy

There are many kinds of brokenness and they all have the potential to bring us to joy in Christ. This psalm penned by David, came at a low period of his life – and he felt distant from God and spiritually broken. It might even have been written AFTER the death of his son with Bathsheba. (My conjecture, not proven)

Granted, at the time of this prayer, David was in the middle of repentance in conviction for his treatment of Bathsheba and Uriah. Worse, both times David’s sin was premeditated, public, and impacted other people’s lives. When confronted by Nathan, David was contrite. He knew that he needed to make things right with God.

And that’s what he did.

(He also needed to make right with the humans he wronged; but he don’t know if he did.)

What we know about David’s worshipper’s heart, however, is that he was always eagerly seeking God’s face. And so, it was not surprising that David was asking for God’s mercy. Despite his wrongs, David desired to be in God’s presence and was not going to be happy, and this happiness was only possible through his being forgiven.

David pleaded for rejoicing, gladness and mirth. He wanted God to rejoice (exhult) with his repentance, so that David could be assured of gladness and mirth in God’s presence in the knowledge that God’s grace was his. Remember David said God does not dislike our willingness to confess our sins.

And, where we are downhearted, we can also seek refuge in God. For the same Jesus Who went out in search of one lost sheep, will seek us out; having already claimed us as His Siblings at Calvary. We are assured that God rejoices when we are restored to wholeness. Might we dare to ask for God’s grace so that we might also rejoice in God’s presence?

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May all we seek be found in Christ