Third Sunday of Lent | Psalm 85

Hello friends and welcome again to the psalms. Psalm 85 is the second in a pair by the Sons of Korah, both of them psalms of seeking—and here, yearning for God to restore.

 There are four stanzas here in Psalm 85.  Psalm 85, verses 1 to 3: “You, Lord, showed favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger”  So the psalmists praise the Lord for three great things: favor, forgiveness, and restoration. God’s favor is a big one. To know God’s favor is not about God liking you better than others, it’s just knowing that he likes you—period. And when you remember that… it feels amazing to just be his! It feels like grace. Can’t earn it, don’t deserve it, God just loves you because he loves you—grace. And here, God’s grace looks like restoration and forgiveness. 

 When a friend offers forgiveness, it’s powerful. If you value that relationship, forgiveness changes you. And the psalmists know that forgiveness from God. They feel that grace. But notice the past tense. They remember that feeling… from back when. Back when God restored us. God set aside his wrath many times in Israel’s past. Many of us know what it’s like to look back and remember God’s grace in our life—and long to know his goodness again. “We had it. How did we lose it? Why did we leave it?” 

Second stanza, verses 4 to 7. “Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. 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”

 Restore us again, God. The cry of the heart that longs for revival. Restoration is God’s work—to take the old and make it new again is an act of the Almighty. But when he doesn’t, what hope is there? You can feel the hopelessness in every word. Where once they felt God’s favor, now they feel displeasure. The feeling when someone likes you is great, but when you know someone is not happy with you, it’s lousy. God may still like them, but right now, they know he’s not happy.  But come on God. This can’t be forever, can it? The psalmists ask if God’s anger will last forever because it feels like forever! And it’s hard not to give in to feelings like that. But they know God better than that. They plead with the Lord. and with their own hearts— to trust the Lord! Pause with me here. Have YOU ever prayed something like this? Will you not revive us again.. 

Have you ever needed to have your downcast spirit revived within you? When God brought the Israelites back from exile, the ruins needed restoration, but the people needed revival. 

 Waiting can wear on you if you lose sight of the promise. Unexpected tragedy can steal your breath, sap your joy, & bring unwelcomed sorrow and despair. Everyone faces something life-altering. An injury, a terminal diagnosis, loss of a job, or the loss of a loved-one.  Several people I loved passed before, during and after covid. As a behavioral health counselor and pastor dealing with my own trauma and grief and the impact of loss throughout my family, counseling others became nearly impossible. The symptoms hit hard and were brutal. Intrusive thoughts. Shortness of breath. Insomnia. Crying spells. Panic attacks. Chest pains. Loss of motivation. I tried staying busy but I could barely function. I needed counsel, healing and hope. Then one night, weeping in bed, I opened my Bible to Psalm 85, and came to verse 6: “Will you not revive us again,  that your people may rejoice in you? “Will you not revive us…?” 

 Those words were for me. I took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. But on this night, I felt like God was distant. I wondered if I’d feel the Holy Spirit again. Would my family lose faith in Jesus? Had I done something wrong? Would we recover and heal? But I took Verse 6 to heart, meditated on it, praying it often while driving, at work, walking, sharing it with others and praying it softly at bedtime.. begging God to let me sense His presence again. The words, “Will You not…?” Were like a promise that He would. Trauma and grief can knock the wind out of you. My heart was broken. But then, Psalm 34: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”  Back here, verse 7 pleads with God: “Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation”  So the psalmists have poured out their struggle to God, and their longing for his restoration. The third stanza begins in verse 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. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land”  I love how verse 8 begins: I will listen. There comes a time in prayer when you’ve said your piece, and it’s time to listen. Slow down, stop talking, listen. Listen for his promises. God promises peace for his own servants, and his promises are the surest hope to be found in this life. But a warning: Don’t turn to folly. God’s promises depend on his grace, but don’t be stupid. You can’t work for God’s grace, but you can certainly work against it. So don’t be foolish, and don’t go back to the same old sin that stole your peace. Verse 9 reads like self-talk. The psalmists are reminding their own hearts: “Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land” Notice that: “our land.” Responsibility has taken hold.  So here we are, listening for God’s response. Waiting. And when he speaks, something amazing happens. Verse 10: “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other” The poetry here is elegant. The meaning profound. Love and faithfulness meet. And what a moment. The Hebrew gives us more depth here. Love is hesed—that phenomenal love of God that no English word can quite capture. But faithfulness is emeth—or literally truth. The great challenge of life: Can God still love you when he knows the full truth about you? Here: they meet. “Righteousness and peace kiss.” God is righteous. But I am not. How can I have peace with a righteous God when I am not?! And here: They kiss. How? The psalm doesn’t answer that. But Jesus answers it all. Jesus fulfilled all righteousness, and brought us peace. Jesus lived the definition of God’s love, and even as he knew the full truth of our sin, he paid the full price, so that he could be both faithful and just to forgive. And watch verse 11: “Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven” I was looking at barren land, wondering what hope remained for this God-forsaken place. But faithfulness sprung up, righteousness showered down, and God’s goodness swept over me. Verse 12 rings out with fresh confidence: “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” I love that picture of preparing for his steps. God is on the move. Back in my story, several weeks after my breakdown, I was re-reading Psalm 85. I came to Verse 6 again: “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” Right then, God, through His word, by His Spirit, showed up! He reminded me of my eternal hope! I’ll see my loved ones again! He revived my spirit! His presence was undeniable! My sorrow now mingled with joy. I had hope again. I prayed in tears with a smile, “Thank You, Lord, for reviving me again, granting me joy, renewing my strength with Your unfailing love. In Your righteousness, you’ve given what is good.”

 Read Psalm 85 again today. Let God work revival and restoration where it’s needed in your life. And may His steps be the path of righteousness He leads you on, rejoicing in the mercy He’s shown you.