Shining Face of God – Psalm 80

A text – Psalm 80:1-7

¹ Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
²  before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!

³ Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

⁴ O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
⁵ You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure.
⁶ You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.

⁷ Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

A reflection:

The people of Israel are lamenting their state – they don’t know why they are being punished, but they know where their help always comes from – the Shepherd of Israel. They are watching for God’s face to shine upon them.

A people that argue with God, A people that cajole God. A people that make bargains with God. That’s who this psalmist represents – the descendants of Abraham. And why not? Abraham argued with God on several occasions and remained God’s beloved one, the father of nations. If you have ever felt your prayers were going unheard, you will be able to relate to verses 4 and 5. And yet, the psalmist prays on, begging the Lord to restore the nation by the mere shining of God’s face upon them.

Abraham’s children are walking in the dark, feeling oppressed and ridiculed, looking for salvation. Those conditions make this psalm a good choice as an advent devotion. We are waiting, waiting, waiting for the light of the world, for a promise to be fulfilled. It cannot come soon enough for us. God has power that can be stirred up, if God chooses. We can beg God to so choose. Begging God to choose to sir up power and shine out into the world of darkness is a tremendous sign of faith and hope, trust in God who has saved us before and can surely do it again. If you are presently down in the dumps, pray verse 7 aloud today: “Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” What might happen if we all did this today?

A prayer:

Lord God, thank you for loving us. Thank you for shining your face on us in the past. Help us to remember when you acted before in our lives, and help us to notice once again your face shining upon us. Amen.