Doing this series was for me – not to grow my blog but for me, personally. I needed some answers which only He could provide me. And if no answers came, I knew He would give me a better understanding of who He was in my life and that alone would be enough for me.
For many years now, my family has nicknamed me “Ms. Happy”. I am not sure if my being happy was not a source of irritation to my family most days. I seemed to always look on the bright side, stay optimistic and be happy. I never realized what a gift I truly had been given until the joy was gone. I am not sure when it was gone or how long it had been gone before I took notice. But when I took notice, I was not the happy camper.
And for much of the summer, I was not even sure how to deal with its absence or how to get it back. You better believe it when I say, in many ways, it was a long short summer. I began praying for God to give back to me the joy I had once felt. The answer He gave was this:
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you.”
(Psalm 51:12, NLT)
I was stumped as I was not sure exactly how this was to apply to me and my lack of joy.
The word ‘restore’ in the Hebrew “essentially denotes movement back to the point of departure.” (Old Testament Lexical Aids).
The battle inside began … “Lord, I haven’t departed from You.”
“Ah, but are you willing to obey?”
That was where I had departed.
A particular situation was unfolding in my life with which I didn’t necessarily agree. Meaning well, and trust me I truly did mean well, I kept giving my opinion on the matter. And giving it. And giving it. And … well, you get the point. I kept giving it even after I knew He was telling me to keep quiet.
And that was how I lost my joy.
That same word “restore” is used elsewhere in Scripture:
- “Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.” (Psalm 80:3, NIV). God brings us back to the point of intimate relationship and favor.
- “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” (1 Peter 5:10, NIV). Our hard times are only for a time. Christ Himself brings us to the point of being strong and supported once again.
And that was how I found my joy … I obeyed and stayed quiet. Instead I opted to pray, and pray hard, asking Him to intervene – to open and close doors, to lead, to direct.
 Sometimes we circle around.
But sometimes, we must circle back.
And it is there, we are restored.
This is Day 13 of 31 Days Of Going In Circles. You can find the entire series here .
Today I am joining … Unforced Rhythms and Playdates With God and Sharing His Beauty and Mon. Musings and Inspire Me Mon. and Making Your Home Sing and Motivation Mon. and Salt & Light and Blessed bu Stressed .
Oh how often have I had to circle back to re-learn a lesson! Great post, Joanne!
Thanks, Holly! So appreciate you.
Thank you for sharing this glimpse into your story!
Grateful you stopped here today, Kate!
So true! I do a lot of circling back 🙂
I am glad I have not been alone in circling 🙂 Thank you for stopping here today!
Joanne,
So true….to circle back and pray and to be quiet is sometimes the hardest thing to do- (I relate)…glad you’ve found joy again 🙂
It really is but so worth it to have joy restored. Glad you visited today.
Oh my friend, I had a long short summer too! So happy that you have found joy again… He is so good and gracious and I think we have all circled back and time or two (or 15)! He’s so good to take us back to where we need to be in order to move forward with Him!
He always circles us back for our own good & to move us forward, Karrilee.
Thanks for sharing your story of being restored. What an honest and encouraging message. I am loving all these Inspire Me Mondays!
So grateful you found an encouraging message here. Thank you for visiting me. I am enjoying the Inspire Me Mondays as well 🙂
Oh believe me, I’ve been there too….and I’m sure I will return unintentionally. Aren’t we thankful that He is always there to welcome us back?! Great post 🙂
Yes! I am thankful that He is always there to get us back on track.
Whoo. Preach, my friend. I have been missing some joy, too, and I think it came in part from being too busy and really listening to Him. You have given a gift with this post. Thank you.
Lynne, I so agree – being too busy can certainly run us ragged & steal our joy some days. So much better to slow down & take time with Him. We’re learning, right?
I think several of us all had the same summer ;). I’m learning to wait and to not let anyone steal my joy (including my self 😉 ).
Oh Anita, how very true. May we guard our joy each & every day! So happy to join you!
Great post! Sometimes we need to lose joy to realize who we get that joy from…the Lord! I have been at the bottom of the pit, unsure if I would ever get out alive, and I looked UP and asked for help from the One and Only who has the ability to restore. He delivered!
Yes, so true! So grateful He is always there for us!