Willing to Obey Psalms 51:12

12 Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. 13 Then I will teach your ways to sinners, and they will return to you.


David says something here that is worthy of our understanding. Davis prays that God would me make him "willing to obey God". What is he asking of God? His response of obedience is the result of the joy of God's salvation. David prays, "restore Your joy in me and make me wiling to obey You." When God restores us, it makes a profound difference in our relationship with Him. God's restoration is relationship oriented. His whole desire and purpose is to establish and maintain a relationship with us. This is what David is seeking from God in the restoration of the joy of God's salvation.

Here is what happens when God restores the joy of His salvation in us. We come to know God in a more intimate and personal way and as a result of that relationship that He has initiated, we respond in an obedient spirit to His will and His way for our life. We do not surrender control of our life to Him out of obligation because He is God; we surrender control of our life to Him because He is God and He has given us His mercy and His grace in spite of our many mistakes. We surrender control of our life to Him because we want this relationship with Him to continue. We want God to be able to bless us; we want Him to be pleased with our life. We want Him to be blessed Himself as He is able to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves!

David knows when his relationship is right with God, he will teach others God's ways and they will return to God. Why is this true? When we live our lives in complete surrender to God and in absolute obedience to His instruction and leadership, He is able to bless us and use us in ways that others will see and respond to! We teach others as we live our lives and allow God to order our steps and make a way for us! God's glory shines in us when He is given the opportunity to do for us. Others will see that glory and will want to surrender themselves so that God's glory and His presence and His provisions will be evident in their lives!

Ask God to create in you a clean heart and restore in you the joy of His salvation so that those who are around you everyday will start to see God at work in your life and they will want Him to work in their lives as well! That was David's prayer. It can and should be our prayer as well!