Prayer for Restoration

Psalms 80:1-19 

To the Chief Musician. Set to "The Lilies." A Testimony of Asaph. A Psalm.

1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
2 Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength,
And come and save us!

3 Restore us, O God;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

4 O LORD God of hosts,
How long will You be angry
Against the prayer of Your people?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure.
6 You have made us a strife to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.

7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
You have cast out the nations, and planted it.
9 You prepared room for it,
And caused it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.

10 The hills were covered with its shadow,
And the mighty cedars with its boughs.
11 She sent out her boughs to the Sea,
And her branches to the River.

12 Why have You broken down her hedges,
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
13 The boar out of the woods uproots it,
And the wild beast of the field devours it.

14 Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine
15 And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,
And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.

17 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we will not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.

19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

This psalm is a prayer crying out for restoration of God’s people.  The cry begins with asking an attentive ear from God to shepherd His flock, exercising divine strength to do so.  Then the refrain that appears three times follows.  It asked for restoration, God’s favor (grace), and salvation (deliverance from their troubles).  The intent is to see God’s working and our response.  Asaph begs to know how long God will be angry against their prayers left unanswered, remembering and reminding Him of their just suffering at His hand with tears, strife, and culminating with the mocking by the ungodly around them.  Again follows the refrain yearning and begging for restoration, grace, and deliverance.  He reminds God of His sovereign work to bring them out of bondage, plant them in a promised land, and yet then allowing them to be broken down and trampled after such promises.  Yes, they sinned and reaped what they sowed, but they also had the promises of grace and forgiveness to restore them for His glory.  We who are in Christ also sin, but are not forsaken, and so we can relate to fervent prayers in similar adversity.  We also desire restoration when we stray because of adversity in our circumstances among the enemy set against the Lord and His anointed ones.  We also pray for God to look with down from Heaven attention to our sorry state, and to rebuke the adversary in order to give relief and restoration.  Like the psalmist, we pray for God’s hand of goodness in power to strengthen us so we do not turn back from trusting and following in the difficult times.  We call on His name!  May our Lord restore, shower grace, and deliver us from evil and the evil one set against us that we may increase in fruitfulness as His people (Matthew 6:13, Luke 11:4, 2 Timothy 4:18, Psalm 22:13, 1 Peter 5:8, Luke 8:15).