Restore Us, O God




Psalm 80


To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Testimony. Of Asaph, a Psalm.
1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.
2Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might and come to save us!
3Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!
4O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6You make us an object of contention for our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!
8You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
9You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.
10The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.
11It sent out its branches to the sea and its shoots to the River.
12Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.
14Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,
15the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
16They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your face!
17But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
18Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name!
19Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

These nationalistic psalms are always a challenge. But the beauty of God’s Word is that it is not specific only to the time it was written. Instead the Scriptures have the power to transcend time. What was true for ancient Israel is still true today. In fact, if you read these words with your nation in mind, you will probably find that the prayer is just as relevant for you as it was for them.

The repeated plea (or chorus – if you will) is one that we can all relate to; Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! In the United States we are deep into a long and embittered battle for the presidency of this nation that has done nothing but divide us. Truthfully, it is ugly on every side. Anyone who feels secure in their standing at this moment isn’t paying attention. It appears we are being turned over to our evil choices by God. There is a real sense of desperation on all sides. Read this psalm again from the perspective of a difficult election and suddenly its relevance becomes clear. That is why my mind and heart resonated with the words of the psalmist “chorus” Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! Right behind those words I breath a prayer of confession and repentance for the nation in which I live. We have not followed God and have instead decided to go our own way – and it is not good, or just, or righteous. Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! Lord have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord have mercy.

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