Advent Devotionals: Day 17

In this Psalm, God had taken Israel out of bondage in Egypt. He had driven out the other nations and planted Israel like a vine in the Promised Land. They grew strong and very prosperous. Blessings were so great that the "mountains were covered with shade" and they reached out "to the sea."

Sound familiar?

As the people began to turn from the Lord, the source of their blessings, His favor no longer shown down on them. They lost the respect of surrounding nations. Their bounty was pilfered from within and from the outside and their power was decimated.

God also planted a nation in the "New World'" prospering us economically and materially until we were recognized as the wealthiest, most powerful nation on the planet. Yet we, too, have turned from acknowledging God as the source of our blessings. Now we find ourselves despised and distrusted by other nations, we languish in the midst of a global pandemic, and our culture is clearly witnessing the decay of our most basic moral values.

In Psalm 80, at least three times, Asaph (the author) calls for the Lord to "Restore us..." (vv. 3, 7, 19). He pleaded with God to "Give ear" (v.1), and "Turn again" (v.44).

Today, we pray for those same things. But for God to once again turn His face upon us, we first must turn our faces toward Him, acknowledge Him as Lord, as Provider, and as Sovereign God, and repent of our disobedience. Only then will He respond to us. His people...His Church.

Prayer: Lord, restore us! Save us from our own rejection of You and Your commands. Open our eyes again to Your goodness. Help us turn our faces back to You, to call on Your Name once again, to let Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. Amen.