Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved. – Psalm 80:19
Moses, the great leader and lawgiver of Israel, sought to know God and have His favor, especially during the last forty years of his life. When the people of Israel disobeyed the Lord, rebelled against His commandments, or were ungrateful in their circumstances, Moses never failed to appeal to God’s merciful character. The Lord had promised to “make His face to shine upon [them] and be gracious to [them],” though they failed in so many ways (Numbers 6:25). Moses reminded God more than once that the neighboring nations were watching what He would do with His people.
John Winthrop, a Puritan lawyer from England, set sail in 1630 with the first wave of colonists headed to establish what would be the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Before they landed, Winthrop delivered a message to those aboard saying that “the only way… to provide for our posterity is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8). He knew that the eyes of the world would be upon them and they would “be as a city upon a hill.”
Today, the eyes of the world are upon the United States of America, its people, and its values. The Lord promised to “bless and keep” Israel (His protection), to “make His face shine” upon them (His pardon from sin), and to “lift up His countenance upon” them (His peace). As you pray for the Lord’s blessing upon this country, ask that its citizens come in repentance for turning their backs on Him and that the Lord would work in the hearts of those who govern. “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God” (Isaiah 59:2). Dear one, plead with the psalmist, “Restore us, O Lord,” and may it begin with you.
Today’s Verse: Psalm 80:19
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Isaiah 58:6-11
“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
11 And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
