“Restore us, O God …”
Restore us, O God;
make your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.
(Psalm 80:3, 7, 19; NIV. Please read Psalms 79-82.)
His people are suffering …
They are suffering from the consequences of their own sins … and the sins of others.
I am sure – if they are like me – that they have a long list of prayer requests: blessings for family – friends – health – finances – etc. But in the midst of suffering for my sins, I had just one request, worded differently than this Psalm but with the same intent. “Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.”
Even now it is my primary plea.
Sing this song with me … pray this prayer for me.
ON SECOND THOUGHT: Another stanza I would lay up in my heart is Psalm 81:10, “I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” My mouth is open … as is my heart. Sing this song with me … pray this prayer for me.
April 29, 2008 at 9:50 am
I love the word “restore”. I’ve always known what it meant … but have recently started to appreciate that meaning. I used to restore furniture. Nothing elaborate just stripping, sanding, and painting. There’s a lot of work that goes into that … most of it is messy and rough.
I read verses now that talk about God restoring me and I’m grateful to know that He can do it. I’m in the only capable hands for the job. But I also have to look at the entire picture … I usually jump to the end result. I want to be restored … I want to be like I was to start with … when I was first created. I do not want to go through the restoration process. Being stripped of all the “ugliness” that sin has left behind. Having the very intricate details of my soul sanded and smoothed. Finally, the finishing touches of God’s glory. It is not a painless process and it is not quick. But the end result is a masterpiece.
I have to place myself in His hands and then quit fighting Him … let Him do His work … knowing that He will make me into a new creation just as perfect as the one I messed up.
It’s interesting to look at scripture and see how many times someone asks God to “restore” them. We like to feel clean and we like new things … once the shiny and new wears off we don’t want it anymore. There’s something in my heart that wants to be shiny and new everyday. I might buy new clothes, new furniture, paint a room, make a resolution … anything to get that feeling of “starting over” and doing better. These provide a temporary feeling of change … but not the newness I’m seeking. God knew I would crave it … that’s why He promised it. He planned to provide what I needed before I even knew I needed it.
April 29, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Just a note to Snack – you are a masterpiece, my girl; a wonderful one, and when I look at your sweet self, I love what I see and hear! Granny Jo Jo
April 29, 2008 at 8:20 pm
To cry out for restoration in their suffering….I have done that, but did not actually expect to be heard. I thought that I had to be cleaned up and right and perfect..that I had to restore myself…before God would want to hear me. I imagined that He was hearing but saying “she wants me to do what?” How sad. That thinking was so damaging to me…my life choices…my heart. But I know better now. I know that God was working…He was devising a way to bring me back. How great is that? He does the work…that I am incapable of doing. He brings me back, He restores me and saves me. Thank you Father!!
Snack…what you said about restoration…PERFECT!! You are so right on the mark with that…and it is so beautifully stated. Thank you for sharing your heart.
I love the last part of 79:8 “may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.” Amen and amen.