Regaining the joy of our salvation

How can we regain the first joy and wonder of our salvation? I know it in my head but I ask myself why am I not more amazed years later.?

Hi Lydia, I've been a Christian for almost 43 years. There have been plenty of times I take my salvation for granted, while still remembering that flame of Joy and Gratitude that I felt at the beginning.

But I'll tell you ... When I read the Bible, and pray sincerely and in the Spirit ... Suddenly my heart is overflowing with praise. Even after all these years ... He brings me to my knees and I am so grateful!

Remember, it's not about you and how you feel. It's about God and Who He is and What He's done! Look up and He will lift you up!

My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how
I ought to be
Alive to You
And dead to me

Oh what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You
Your spirit above
Please wash me anew
In the wine of Your love

It's quite normal. I can't think of anything that excites me like it did the first time. We are prone to take things for granted, which is not good. But high emotions can be draining, so it's also an issue.

I floated through life for 3 months after I was saved. Then reality kicked in. People did not want what I had. That grieved me. I lost a gf. That was hard. My plans for the future did not work out. More grief. I had entirely wrong expectations. I thought that all my problems were over and I'd be happy for ever.

God permits this to happen. He wants us to live by faith and by principle, not feelings. My mood used to be controlled by the weather. Not any more. It took many years to get free of the emotional roller coaster. We need to get to the place where truth rules us, not feelings.

The old hymn says "count your blessings". That's great advice. I used to hate getting out of bed. Now I thank the Lord that I can get out of bed. A lot of people my age struggle physically. I can cross the road to shop without being shot at. Not everyone is so blessed. Spend time focused on what Lord Jesus has done for you and declare it out loud. You will find that your inner person, your spirit, will be edified.

Joy is not happiness. It's deeper and not dependent on circumstances. It's the fruit of the spirit so cannot be taken away from us. I was in hospital a bit over a year ago. I had pancreatitis, a miserable and painful condition. I could hardly pray. Yet all through, I sensed the presence of the Lord and I had peace. The joy of the Lord was my strength.

I take no credit for this. By nature, I am negative, a perfectionist and prone to complaining. The Lord has graciously changed me over the last 50 years. He's not finished yet!

Very well said. Praise be to God for him using you to share that with us all, truly.
Beautiful reminder and Blessing for us all.

I want to give you a response, but being one of those grew up in church kids; I'm not sure I can distinguish the first joy and wonder from being a kid in general. But some thoughts:

Accepting God's love may reduce the day to day amazement. Kind of like in most other relationships, when it's new (or when you've really screwed up and don't like yourself much at the moment) it's amazing that someone loves you. Once the relationship is well established though, you reach a certain level of comfort and acceptance that this other person loves you that kind of precludes an incredulous amazement at it. A high level of emotional intensity doesn't automatically make a person more spiritual or godly.

Being around people who are seeing or experiencing something for the first time can help you see it fresh as well. I've done a lot of mission trips but the last one I went on, one of the gals from my small group also went and it was her first missions trip and I found her reaction to things rather useful for keeping me grounded in how unique and amazing things that were commonplace for me actually were. In a similar way, I've found the stories and testimonies of persecuted believers to be super useful in helping me realize that even if I've grown blind to it through familiarity, the Christian story and the new covenant that God offers humanity through Christ is hugely amazing and valuable and not at all like anything else and those who are new to it recognize that value.

The other thing I find that sometimes helps is allegory or just spiritually inspiring stories. A lot of modern mass produced Christian stuff can be super trite and not so helpful, but any good stories of people behaving in a Christian manner with grace and forgiveness can often reawaken us to how amazing those things are. Many times they don't have to even be overtly Christian to have that effect.

So those are my best thoughts; that and just to remember that God never requires you to have certain feelings to be acceptable to him.

Welcome!

Dear all, thank you for making me feel welcome and taking the time to consider my question. I really appreciated all your insights, examples, personal stories and for sharing the beautifully decorated verses and wonderful songs. It was a great reminder that our status as loved and saved is not dependent on feelings. However, can I still say that this chat has made me excited about the future when we will all be together in HIS glorious presence!! In the last few days God has allowed me to feel broken,piece by piece, taken apart in my belief that I can and must manage all around me. There has been joy, amidst fear still lingering, in the resting on him- his all knowing loving power. Perhaps I won't get what I want but something better.

Well if we're doing songs... This thread reminds me of:



Have I come too casually?
Because it seems to me
There's something I've neglected
How does one approach a Deity
with informality
And still protect the Sacred?

'Cause you came and chose to wear the skin of all of us
And it's easy to forget You left a throne

And the line gets blurry all the time
Between daily and Divine
And it's hard to know the difference

Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Face down on the ground do I dare
To take the liberty to stare at you
Oh, let me not,
Oh, let me not forget to tremble

What a shame to think that I'd appear
Even slightly cavalier
In the matter of salvation
Do I claim this gift You freely gave
As if it were mine to take
With such little hesitation?

'Cause you came and stood among the very least of us
And it's easy to forget you left a throne

Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Face down on the ground do I dare
To take the liberty to stare at you
Oh, let me not
Oh, let me not forget to tremble

- Nichole Nordeman

Add all the songs in my collection that mention "Is grace still amazing..."

Thank you. Lovely words and very appropriate!

I've asked myself that same question on more than one occasion.

I would say two things. First of all, when the pressure has been on for so long, you don't even realize you haven't let it go... take a moment to remember everything is OK right now; not later; right now. The God who created love, and everything else, is here right now.

Secondly, music can give wonderful emotional lifts. Have some when you make dinner, or do the pots and pans. Sit in a chair and listen to an inspiring show, podcast or album. We need to fill the tank. 'Think on things that are lovely, good...' as Paul says.

We can find renewed inspiration in many places. For instance, this brought an inspiring tear to my eyes...

When I think of Joy, I think of the joy of the Lord is our strength! It helps us continue on during this crazy world.