Psalms 51:12

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

(v12, NIV)

Why would David want the joy of God's salvation restored? If God's salvation is so great, why would he ever lose his joy for it? We would do best to look at our own lives and think of times when we've lost the joy for something. It could be something as simple as a toy. Perhaps you may have played with it very much when you first received it, but after a while you may get bored of it and stop playing with it. If you are saved, were you ever weakened in your excitement about salvation? There are times when we forget or seem to drift away, clinging to the things of this world. David seems to know that cleansing is not enough. He does ask for cleansing, but if that's all you got, it'd be pointless. We would be cleansed and then go back to sinning. Something needs to change. To fix an old, broken down, rusted car, it isn't enough to just wash and clean the exterior. It may look nice, but maybe the engine would need to be fixed. We need internal cleansing and we need our attitudes and desires changed. David asks for a renewal of joy for God's salvation, and that's what we need as well.