Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. (Psa 51:12-13)
Uphold me with a willing spirit.
Are you willing? That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? For how much of our lives are simply reacting to what is required of us. What we must do: no one asked you about most of the stuff you do in a day, right? If they do ask you—“Hey, would you be willing to…?”—it’s more like a nicely worded demand than a legitimate appeal to your personal sense of purpose.
That’s not what God is interested in. He’s not passive-aggressive. He commands and He invites. He knows what we must do. But he knows that we must do it. We must be willing.
Are you willing? In the previous verse the psalmist prays, “restore to me the joy of Your salvation.” In this parallel couplet, that joy is equated with a “willing-spirit.” In other words, the person who is rejoicing in what Christ has done is eager to be a part of what Christ is doing.
Our spirits can be willing, or unwilling. You have a spirit—an internal energy that animates your activity and decisions. And your spirit can either look on the activity of God with suspicion—unwilling—or with eagerness—willing. If God is the God of a great salvation, a God of joy, then, yeah, I’d like to see what’s up with Him. If He’s not, if He’s the God of stinginess and withheld-goodness, then, no, I’m not interested.
A willing spirit comes from God. He gives it to us by showing us His salvation in such a way that we love it. Joy equals willingness. (This is the goal of our “unleashing the Gospel in you!” To see us filled with joy and alive to God!)
Yet this willing spirit is a slippery thing, isn’t it? Ever been moving a large, awkward object for which there are no good grips? It slips away. That’s what a willing spirit is like. As much fun as it is to be alive with that energy, it’s easier to stare at gray skies seeing only regrets and worries. Half-way up the staircase, the armoire slips away, and stays.
So we need regular reconnections with God. We need worship. We need Bible Study. We need counseling. We need ministry. We need all that makes us need Him. We need to grab hold of Him grabbing hold of us: “I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own.” (Phil 3:12)
“Remember Jesus Christ.” (2 Tim 2:8)
But to be clear, what is upheld? “Uphold me…” I am upheld. Me. Not my ministry. Not even my willing spirit. It’s me that’s being upheld by this gift. What me? The me I lovingly recall and wish would exist. God’s me. The me God says, “Mine!” over.
See, our unwillingness to go with God’s love and life isn’t just forgetting God’s salvation, letting slip The Great Love. It’s also stabbing ourselves in the back, forgetting redemption, hope, and new life in Christ.
There’s a You that God is eager to restore, to uphold. Your spirit is delightful to His Spirit. You are a gift.
But only one thing will stir up that gift that is you. Not positive self-talk or a better body-image or more money or framed accolades. Only One Thing. And that one thing is God showing us His love in the Message of the Gospel. Only the Spirit, using the Gospel, can renew the image of our Creator within us.
Why else would we be willing to emerge from our shells into the risk of whatever-it-is God’s up to? Our spirits must know—know-know, like, really-know—that this God is good, reliable, able, and attentive. He is. Jesus proves it. The Gospel explains it.
Are you willing? Then, first, make this—“Uphold me with a willing spirit”—your prayer today. Second, consider Jesus; worship. And third… never mind third. You’re good. A worshiping-you is a great you to have around. The gift of you is ready.
Photo by Johnny Cohen on Unsplash
