Psalm 80:1-7 (NRSV)
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Verse 1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
Verse 2before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!
Verse 3Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Verse 4O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
Verse 5You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.
Verse 6You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.
Verse 7Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Devotion
We have heard the cries of late: “My retirement fund has tanked. Can I get a student loan? We can’t sell our house. I was laid off.” The laments go forth. But to whom are they directed? Are they directed to the government, banks, or corporations? Our current economic woes recall a nursery rhyme:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.
The Psalmist knows where to turn in a crisis and makes a plea to God for help, repeating this powerful refrain:
Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
We might have prayed to God in this current economic crisis, but have our prayers only been self-serving? Maybe we make God angry by the limited scope of our praying. Maybe our nation has become the scorn of our neighbors. Maybe our enemies laugh at us.
So now we invite God to restore us and make his face shine upon us and be gracious to us. (Num. 6:25)
Prayer
Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. Amen.