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Journey Back to Joy: Rediscovering repentance
Sin is serious because God is Holy. Even if we are trusting in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, the burden of our sin can quickly rob us of our Christian joy.
So what should we do when we’ve done wrong in the eyes of God? This is the question that famously faced King David.
In this brutally honest and hugely helpful book, Dai Hankey helps us to consider David’s spiritual journey. We’ll see the mess of David’s sin and the depths of his brokenness, but we’ll also see that hearing God’s word and responding in repentance turned David’s life around. Dai 'grabs us by the scruff of the neck' to do likewise and turn to God. As we do, we'll experience afresh the joy of being forgiven, no matter how far we may feel we’ve fallen.
So what should we do when we’ve done wrong in the eyes of God? This is the question that famously faced King David.
In this brutally honest and hugely helpful book, Dai Hankey helps us to consider David’s spiritual journey. We’ll see the mess of David’s sin and the depths of his brokenness, but we’ll also see that hearing God’s word and responding in repentance turned David’s life around. Dai 'grabs us by the scruff of the neck' to do likewise and turn to God. As we do, we'll experience afresh the joy of being forgiven, no matter how far we may feel we’ve fallen.
62 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2017
46 people want to read
About the author
Dai Hankey
10 books5 followersDai Hankey is a church-planting Pastor in the Welsh Valleys where he lives with his wife, Michelle and four young children. Dai is a former skate-boarder and loves to DJ. He is the author of The Hard Corps and A Man's Greatest Challenge.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 29, 2024
Thanking God for this book! Just a lovely reminder of the goodness of the gospel
October 25, 2025
Enjoyed this little book on the role that repentance plays in finding joy in Christ. Focussing on the role that repentance played in King David’s life, the book is biblically rich, super easy to read and perfect for a young Christian.
My fave quote was from page 50;
“David was undoubtedly jubilant that his sins were covered, but ultimately the pinnacle of his joy was a restored relationship with God. He didn’t simply want forgiveness; he wanted the Father.”
My fave quote was from page 50;
“David was undoubtedly jubilant that his sins were covered, but ultimately the pinnacle of his joy was a restored relationship with God. He didn’t simply want forgiveness; he wanted the Father.”
April 14, 2021
In this short book Hankey provides a thoughtful exposition of the life of David and his sin with Bathsheba. He uses this example as one that calls the believer to confess their sins to the Lord and rest on the grace and mercy of God. The final two chapters focus on Psalms 51 and 32 to look at what a confession of sin looks like and what such a confess leads to, which is ultimately joy in the Lord.
February 21, 2023
This book looks at the life of King David and uses it as an example for the journey from sin and separation with God back to joy and closeness, through repentance.
In short chapters Dai takes us through the 4 movements:
Tragedy - sin committed
Agony - sin exposed
Humility - sin confused
Ecstasy - sin covered
As well as drawing upon the accounts in 2 Samuel, Dai goes on to draw upon Psalm 51 and Psalm 32 as key parts of David's journey. I'd never noticed the connection of Psalm 32 to this episode in David's life before, but it certainly makes sense, and the contrast from Psalm 51 is stark.
Ultimately Dai says that "there is no more secure place to be than resting and trusting in God, knowing that wherever you turn you are constantly surrounded on all sides by His unfailing love." That though our love fails, God's love endures, and that "the glory of the gospel is that the greater our filthiness, the greater our forgiveness and the more grateful our praise."
It's a short read, but one not to rush.
In short chapters Dai takes us through the 4 movements:
Tragedy - sin committed
Agony - sin exposed
Humility - sin confused
Ecstasy - sin covered
As well as drawing upon the accounts in 2 Samuel, Dai goes on to draw upon Psalm 51 and Psalm 32 as key parts of David's journey. I'd never noticed the connection of Psalm 32 to this episode in David's life before, but it certainly makes sense, and the contrast from Psalm 51 is stark.
Ultimately Dai says that "there is no more secure place to be than resting and trusting in God, knowing that wherever you turn you are constantly surrounded on all sides by His unfailing love." That though our love fails, God's love endures, and that "the glory of the gospel is that the greater our filthiness, the greater our forgiveness and the more grateful our praise."
It's a short read, but one not to rush.
April 8, 2020
This book is brilliant for how short it is. I really like the way the book is organised, each chapter follows a different stage of David's journey back to joy with God after committing adultery and murder. A wonderful encouragement that although we are sinners, and although there is time for mourning and repentance, our gracious God welcomes us back into His presence with open arms. Consider me encouraged.
January 6, 2022
This book reads like a sermon about David’s sin against Bathsheba, and it’s a wonderful message to any believer who had sinned against God. You can be forgive a
and restored in your relationship with the Father.
and restored in your relationship with the Father.
November 13, 2017
Good, simple, helpful and enjoyable read on repentance and joy. Would be great to give to people struggling with guilt.
July 10, 2020
A brief summary of David's repentance, which was fine. But I was hoping for a more closer look at repentance as a concept rather than a retelling of David's story.
February 14, 2024
Just 45 minutes clear, inspiring (& with moments of levity to help us along) to train, remind, transform our hearts & lives by turning back to Jesus our loving Lord, full of grace.
August 26, 2025
Short and sweet, but really hits the point about how David made a crucial error…like many of us do, but yet how God still called him out of his shame and accepted his offer of a broken spirit
September 15, 2025
This great little book examines repentance from the perspective of it being the route back to the joy that can only come from having our sins forgiven and being restored to a right relationship with our creator. Hankey summarises the result of repentance as follows: "If true joy is found in god's presence, then to know Jesus is true joy."
Hankey approaches his topic in four parts, as follows:
- Tragedy - sin committed
- Agony - sin exposed
- Humility - sin confessed
- Ecstasy - sin covered
He unpacks these four themes using the story of David and Bathsheba from 2 Samuel 11 and 12, and then also from Psalms 51 and 32.
Hankey is clear from the outset that the only way back to joy is via the road of repentance, not just at the start of our Christian lives but throughout. He is also realistic about how hard a thing this can be to do, and comments that: "Turning back to God requires raw honesty and extraordinary humility and is therefore one of the toughest things to ever do, but it is the only way to expel the darkness and experience grace. Crucially, it is also the essential first step back to joy."
He goes on to explain that in our repentance, we call upon God's offer of forgiveness in Jesus. This is radical, and even scandalous, forgiveness, and Hankey memorably states it like this: "David's sin was covered because it was buried with Christ in the tomb and left there to rot. That's how God covers sin. He doesn't merely brush it under the carpet; He does away with it decisively, emphatically, permanently, eradicating every trace of disgrace...David was 100% forgiven, no longer haunted by guilt or plagued by regret, but rather purged on the inside and liberated from shame. There is no greater gift to receive, no sweeter freedom to savour than the salvation of God."
Helpfully, he also explains that our ultimate aim is not sins forgiven but a restored relationship and active fellowship with the Father: "David's journey back to joy was about so much more than merely seeking God's forgiveness for the foul things he had done. David was undoubtedly jubilant that his sins were covered, but ultimately, the pinnacle of his joy was a restored relationship with God. He didn't simply want forgiveness; he wanted the Father. More than God's pardon, he craved God's presence, where true joy is found. David rejoiced in salvation, but supremely he found joyful rest in the arms of the saviour. He goes on to point out that this is a particular challenge for us in our consumeristic Western culture, where so often we value the gift above the giver."
This is a fabulous little book, and another one that's worth having a stack of to give away.
Hankey approaches his topic in four parts, as follows:
- Tragedy - sin committed
- Agony - sin exposed
- Humility - sin confessed
- Ecstasy - sin covered
He unpacks these four themes using the story of David and Bathsheba from 2 Samuel 11 and 12, and then also from Psalms 51 and 32.
Hankey is clear from the outset that the only way back to joy is via the road of repentance, not just at the start of our Christian lives but throughout. He is also realistic about how hard a thing this can be to do, and comments that: "Turning back to God requires raw honesty and extraordinary humility and is therefore one of the toughest things to ever do, but it is the only way to expel the darkness and experience grace. Crucially, it is also the essential first step back to joy."
He goes on to explain that in our repentance, we call upon God's offer of forgiveness in Jesus. This is radical, and even scandalous, forgiveness, and Hankey memorably states it like this: "David's sin was covered because it was buried with Christ in the tomb and left there to rot. That's how God covers sin. He doesn't merely brush it under the carpet; He does away with it decisively, emphatically, permanently, eradicating every trace of disgrace...David was 100% forgiven, no longer haunted by guilt or plagued by regret, but rather purged on the inside and liberated from shame. There is no greater gift to receive, no sweeter freedom to savour than the salvation of God."
Helpfully, he also explains that our ultimate aim is not sins forgiven but a restored relationship and active fellowship with the Father: "David's journey back to joy was about so much more than merely seeking God's forgiveness for the foul things he had done. David was undoubtedly jubilant that his sins were covered, but ultimately, the pinnacle of his joy was a restored relationship with God. He didn't simply want forgiveness; he wanted the Father. More than God's pardon, he craved God's presence, where true joy is found. David rejoiced in salvation, but supremely he found joyful rest in the arms of the saviour. He goes on to point out that this is a particular challenge for us in our consumeristic Western culture, where so often we value the gift above the giver."
This is a fabulous little book, and another one that's worth having a stack of to give away.
February 19, 2024
2024: A short exposition and application of Psalms 51 and 32, covering David’s sin against Bathsheba and Uriah, Nathan’s confrontation of David, and ultimately David’s repentance— his way back to joy in the Lord.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews