Many times God’s people, if we’re truly honest, have a need for spiritual renewal. We don’t feel close to God. We may even think God is angry with us, and there might be some reason for that because of some foolish sin. Psalm 85 is a prayer for spiritual restoration & revival (4, 6). The appeal is based on God’s past actions (1-3). Notice the active verbs: restored, forgave, covered, withdrew, turned from – all because of God’s favor (undeserved kindness) to his property & people. But the appeal for revival has a purpose: “that your people may rejoice in you” (6b). Joy in God is the outcome of spiritual renewal/revival, not just feeling better about ourselves or having better circumstances. What our joyless spirit needs to see is God’s steadfast love and salvation or deliverance from what caused the need for restoration (7). We want & need to hear God “speak peace to his people” (8a) – likely the peace of forgiveness; but we don’t want to turn back to the folly of sin (8b). That would just spiral us back down to joylessness. (And believe me I KNOW what I’m talking about here. Sometimes after hearing God speak the peace of forgiveness I have over time returned to something very foolish.) The proper kind of restoration, revival & salvation from our tendency towards folly comes to those who fear God and want to see his glory in their lives (9). Again I say, it’s not just so we can feel good about ourselves and have a clear conscience. We want a restored relationship & fellowship with God, and we want God to get the credit for it. Now, concerning the rest of the psalm (10-13), let me just say this: the best & most glorious place I know where “steadfast love & faithfulness [met] & where “righteousness & peace kiss[ed] each other” was on the cross on Calvary’s hill where Jesus Christ died. The garden tomb nearby was where “faithfulness” personified in Jesus sprang up, and the righteousness of God – now satisfied because of Jesus’s death & resurrection – looked down from heaven. This is truly the “good” that God gives to us as the greatest news on earth & the greatest benefit for our souls. I pray that we will reflect on God’s action to forgive us and cover our sins and withdraw his anger from us because it was poured out on Jesus, and that we will let this truth recalibrate our hearts and revive us again so that we may truly rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say “Rejoice!”
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