This Psalm reveals the heart of King David after he sinned against God. He cried out to God to restore the joy of his salvation. Sin is a destructive force that’s nature is to destroy us. It weighs us down, makes us ill, robs us of our confidence in the Lord, and steals away our peace and joy. It separates us from the intimacy we once enjoyed with the Lord. In this same Psalm, David asks the Lord to create within him, a new, clean heart; and to not take His Holy Spirit from him. Jesus had not yet come to the earth to die for the sins of the world, and His Holy Spirit was not yet released to take possession of the hearts of men. So the only way people could experience God’s Presence was when He came down upon them for certain periods of time. David had experienced what it was to have the presence of God rest on him – He had grown to love God’s presence more than life itself. But David’s un-confessed sin caused a chasm between him and His God. Only when he repented did he experience the glorious presence of the Lord again, and the joy of His salvation was restored to him. Because of the finished work of the cross, every born-again child of God has the Holy Spirit living inside us. John 7:38 says we have rivers of living water springing up and flowing from our spirit-man when we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Those rivers will continue to flow with the life and joy of the Lord, unless they become clogged up with the weight of un-confessed sin. 1 John 1:9 says we can get rid of that resistance to the flow of God’s life and joy in us, when we confess our sin. He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness! So determine to not give sin any room in your life, and that joy of your salvation, will keep flowing powerfully in you and will sustain you!