Psalm 85:1-13
Listening to God’s promise of peace for those that fear Him – and hearing a promise of revival?
1 You, Lord, showed favour to your land; You restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2-3 You forgave the iniquity of Your people and covered all their sins. You set aside all Your wrath and turned from Your fierce anger.
- This psalm is a communal prayer for those who have come back to Jerusalem from exile, at the time of Ezra and Nehemiah – and were facing significant danger and opposition there.
- Although most psalms were composed earlier e.g at the time of King David, some are after the exile, or at least show prophetic allusions to the return of God’s people as in Psalm 126 and Psalm 14:7 .
4 Restore us again, God our Saviour, and put away Your displeasure toward us.
5-7 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? Will you not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us Your salvation.
- “Will you not revive us again…?” A prayer to touch the heart of God, who wants to bring revival more than, generally, we want to ask for it. One of a clutch of key revival verses summarised by 2 Chronicles 7:14; Acts 3:19
- “Will You not revive us again…” A prayer we can pray with confidence. Who wants revival more, us or God? What holds back revival?
8-9 I will listen to what God the Lord says; He promises peace to His people, His faithful servants – but let them not turn to folly. Surely His salvation is near those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land.
- God’s gracious salvation being near those who fear Him is a repeated theme in Psalms and Proverbs. It points up the tension between man’s natural self-sufficiency and independence, and the need to submit to God as the One who provides and saves, recognising how the covenant relationship works.
10-11 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.
- These are ‘returning’ expressions: God’s love meets our return to faithfulness, God’s peace looks for our return to His righteousness. Righteousness is a heavenly quality which looks for a connection with faithfulness to find its expression in our lives and attitudes.
12-13 The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before Him and prepares the way for His steps.
Application
Coming back from exile or from alienation from God may seem to be putting a historic event for the Jewish nation alongside our very different context. But in life, even a faith-centred life, there is the tension between the call of God and our desire for self-determination. There will always be the need for seasons which recognise where we have alienated ourselves, where our independence has inevitably caused God’s righteous anger, and where we need to appeal to His understanding, patient mercy in making our ‘return’.
Discussion starters
3. In what ways do we need God to revive us again?
4. What does He look for, to be able to do this? What does this psalm tell us, that holds back revival?
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