Posted by
Eric Jay on Thursday, September 20, 2007 4:39:59 PM
One of my favorite daily reads includes a devotional by Pastor Mark D. Roberts from the Psalms, add it to your daily reads and bookmark (thanks Mark!):
Psalm 80 – Restore Us!
Excerpt
Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Psalm 80:3
Click here to read all of Psalm 80
Prayer
I am reminded, Lord, of springtime in New England. For months everything was brown and sad. It seemed as if the trees and bushes had died, and the flowers had disappeared forever. But then the sun began to shine more warmly. The temperatures began to rise. Buds appeared on the trees. Soon the crocuses sprouted, adding color to the otherwise dreary landscape. The days grew longer, and the sun shone even more brightly. Before long the trees exploded with green. Flowers appeared where there seemed to have been nothing but dead sticks. Spring had arrived. New life again.
As You shine upon us, Lord, we are like a New England garden in spring. The more we draw life from You, the more we become fully alive. At first the signs of renewal are small, almost unnoticed. But as we continue to bask in Your presence, our hearts awaken, our joy returns, and our lives begin to bear fruit for Your kingdom. Apart from You we are trapped in the deadness of winter. But in Your presence we come alive.
So shine upon us, Lord. Help us to turn our faces toward You so that we might receive Your new life.
Postscript
The notion of God’s face shining is one we find in many places in the Old Testament, most notably in the benediction of Numbers 6:24-26:
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
This passage of Scripture was recently found on an amulet (small piece of jewelry) in Jerusalem. Archeologists have dated the amulet to the 7th century BC. That makes this text the oldest existing text of the Old Testament, predating the Dead Sea Scrolls by almost 500 years.
For more information, check here.
He also has one from the Gospels:
Excerpt
“Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”
John 7:27
Click here to read all of John 7:25-36
Prayer
Dear Lord, even as many in Your own time thought they had the Messiah all figured out, so we can imagine that we know everything about You. We who believe in You like to put You in the little box of our own understanding.
Of course it’s wonderful that You have made Yourself known to us through Scripture, and that You continue to help us to know You by the Spirit. But, dear Lord, keep us from the arrogance, and, indeed, the silliness, of thinking we have You all figured out. May we be continually open to being surprised by You. And may we believe strongly in You, but with the humility of recognizing our own limitations.
Questions to Ponder
Has Jesus ever surprised You? Happily? Unhappily?
Are you open to knowing the real Jesus? Or are you so committed to your own views that you’re not open to the truth?
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