Psalm 51:7, 8, 12 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice….Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with a free spirit.
David confesses his sins of adultery and murder after being convicted by Nathan the prophet, and he pleas for mercy. He responds by asking to be purged and washed. His response to the cleansing is joy and gladness. The bones broken by God’s Word are repaired with rejoicing. The Lord has forgiven the sin and restored the joy of salvation.
Joy is our response to confession and forgiveness. At the beginning of each worship service we confess sin and receive forgiveness. We respond with joy for the rest of the week. And daily we confess and ask to be washed in the blood of Jesus. When we believe and receive forgiveness we are filled with joy, the joy of salvation that restores the soul in a loving relationship with God.
Every day throughout life we are filled with sin, repentance, forgiveness, restoration, and the resultant joy. Both saint and sinner abides in the human heart at the same time. We are always being broken by sin and restored by forgiveness. Therefore, joy is the continuous and constant attitude of the believer’s life, always renewed by the never-ending flow of mercy through the blood of Jesus.