Psalm 80:1-7 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 80:1-7 on biblegateway.com
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
God's salvation is all about God's face shining on us. When God's face shines on us, we actually sense and experience God's sheer goodness and delight in us. When God's face shines on us, we know in a very palpable way—throughout our entire bodies—that nothing can ultimately harm us or separate us from God's love. Yet Psalm 80 is brutally honest about the fact that we don’t always experience such "salvation." Instead, we often feel that we've been given "the bread of tears." Yet in the midst of our anguish, the Holy Spirit is always there praying through us, bearing witness to our spirit that we are indeed God's children, the ones upon whom God's face shines. And through the Spirit, we can boldly cry out amidst whatever it is that we are facing: "Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved."
Prayer
Let your face shine on us, O God of hosts. Restore us, that we may be saved. Amen.