Guide Me Back

A Reflection on the Psalm for November 29th, 2020:
First Sunday of Advent

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Psalm 80

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

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Stir up your might, and come to save us. 

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

Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand has planted. 

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

But let your hand be upon the man at your right, the son of man you have made strong for yourself. Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name. 

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

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

“Restore us, O God…”

To restore is to repair something or to bring something that is lost back to its owner. More often than not, I’m in need of the Lord’s restoration; for Him to pick up the pieces of my brokenness or to guide me back to Him. 

The Lord wants to restore us. But, more importantly, He wants us to want to be restored by Him. God will never impose Himself on us although He wants nothing more than to be there for His children. This psalm is crying out to the Lord for His grace and His restoration. I strive to do the same in my daily life. 

However, at times (especially in those times where I need restoration), I can become passive in my faith. I can forget to ask the Lord to restore me. When stress and feelings of being overwhelmed crowd in, that is when I need restoration the most. But I sometimes become distracted in things that lead me further from restoration: being doubtful, anxious, and submerging myself in the source of my stress. 

Resisting God through passivity in your relationship with Him is also resisting your potential to be the great and joyful being that He intended for you to be. I have found it helpful in these times to be more intentional about making time for the Lord. Engulfing myself in the chaos will not calm the storm… but God will. I find that if I make time in the morning to be with the Lord, for even just five minutes, I am sure to have a better start to my day than I otherwise would have if I had just jumped immediately onto my phone, or got up in a rush to begin all of my “to dos” for the day. 
Ask for restoration and God will always provide. When you call out to Him, like in this psalm, He will be there. He will be there to repair the brokenness and guide you back to Him. 

Let us pray that we can resist the temptation of passivity and seek restoration through Him each day. 

Amen

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Megan Noye

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