Restore Us Again

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
1        You, LORD, showed favor to your land;

    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

2        You forgave the iniquity of your people

    and covered all their sins.

3        You set aside all your wrath

    and turned from your fierce anger. 

4        Restore us again, God our Savior,

    and put away your displeasure toward us.

5        Will you be angry with us forever?

    Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

6        Will you not revive us again,

              that your people may rejoice in you?

7        Show us your unfailing love, LORD,

    and grant us your salvation. 

8        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.

9        Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,

    that his glory may dwell in our land. 

10      Love and faithfulness meet together;

    righteousness and peace kiss each other.

11      Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,

    and righteousness looks down from heaven.

12      The LORD will indeed give what is good,

    and our land will yield its harvest.

13      Righteousness goes before him

    and prepares the way for his steps. (Psalm 85, NIV)

 

REFLECTIONS:

Confession time… In an attempt to give our regular devotional writers a well-deserved break, I decided that I would try to write all of the devotionals for a few weeks. Well… it seems that the last two weeks of long-winded devotionals have exhausted all of my brainpower. Every time I try to start a new devotional, my brain just sputters and goes blank. (That explains the lack of devotional yesterday.) So, if you'll kindly bear with me, I'd like to suggest that we simply reflect upon Psalm 85 today. 

 

Let us use this psalm as a template for reflecting upon the ways God has showed favor to us through his manifold kindness and his forgiving grace (verses 1-3). Confess the ways you have lingered in sin and foolish living, and cry out for God's healing and restoration (verses 4-7). Reflect upon the ways that God has promised peace and salvation to his people (verses 8-9). Contemplate the many ways that God has graciously changed and transformed your life, and pray for his continued grace to stir up within us love and faithfulness and righteousness and peace (verses 10-13).

 

This is a beautiful psalm about God's activity in our life—past, present, and future. May we reflect upon its truth and allow it to guide us forward throughout this day.

 

 

WHO AM I?

I am Tres Sansom, and I am missing my family. Kate is in Dallas all week at the annual Mary Kay Seminar, and our kids are visiting their grandparents in Maine.