Psalm 80 – Running To God For Restoration
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! (Psalms 80:3)
The history of the people of Israel is a story of God saving and delivering his people. Initially the people are grateful but they quickly begin complaining to God in the wilderness. Their complaints eventually lead to them denying God and creating an idol to worship. Rather than wipe them off the face of the earth for their sin God still continues to be with them and takes them from the wilderness and into the promised land. Over and over in Israel’s story there’s a pattern. They sin and God restores. And that story is our story. Every Christian knows that God has saved them and every Christian knows that despite that knowledge there are still times when we turn away from God and sin. When we sin there’s only one correct way to respond. It’s found in Psalm 80:3, cry out to God, “Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!”
The enemy wants to convince you that when you sin you need to run as far away from God as possible but when we do that we are denying what we know to be true about God. The Bible says that God is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2). In other words, when we sin we run to God because it’s in God that we find mercy, grace, and forgiveness. This is why the Psalmist can plead with God for restoration. The psalmist knows that it is in God that we appeal for salvation. So while we might at times repeat the pattern of being rescued by God, then sinning, we must not repeat their pattern of creating idols to turn to but rather turn to God knowing that he delights to save sinners.
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