From the Pastor |
Our psalm this morning offers some radical advice… “I will listen to what God the Lord says…” I say radical advice because it seems that listening to God is NOT an easy thing to do. From the moment we get up in the morning, we are surrounded with noise and distractions… we are always on the go… consumed by the things that are important to us… is it any wonder it is so difficult for people today to hear God’s voice?
But this morning, I would like us to heed the psalmist’s advice… Let us take some time and truly listen to what God has to tell us… as we look a deeper into Psalm 85. When I looked at the psalm earlier this week… All I could think is that this psalm is what WE need… This psalm is a beautiful prayer of lament… Not for an individual, but for a community that is in the midst of a crisis. And we are definitely a nation in the midst of crisis. This psalm is actually divided into three distinct parts: Verses 1-3 offer a reminder that in the past, God has granted forgiveness and restoration to the people of Israel. Verses 4-7 move to the present as the people again plea for God to bring restoration in a new time of crisis. Finally verses 8-13 provide a message of assurance for the future. The psalm begins as it recalls God's forgiving acts in the past. The Hebrew Scriptures are filled of the reminders of how, over and over, the people turned from God. The prophets issued dire warnings that were ignored, and Israel suffered greatly for failing to listen… for turning away from God… and breaking their side of the covenant. They were conquered… sent into exile… they lost their land… their nation… their “fortunes”… but most of all, they lost their connection… their communion with God. Yet, through it all… God never gave up on them… God did not forsake them… So here, they remember that, God set aside his anger and offered forgiveness... bringing restoration to the people: “You, Lord, showed favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.” Well… Just like the people of Israel… Christian history has shown this same pattern unfold time and time again. Communities and nations turn away from God… failing to follow the commandments of love for God and neighbors… they found themselves suffering and in crisis. Yet, through Christ, God has continuously offered forgiveness and restoration when the people repented and returned to God… letting go of anger and providing hope, mercy and grace… and providing a path for restoring the relationship between the people and God. So in remembrance of God’s salvation in the past… we move to verses 4-7… to the present because it seems that once again the people of Israel messed up… Something has happened… they have recognized that they have again sinned against God, and have found their relationship with God is damaged. And NOW they are worried as they consider that God is angry with them. Their sin is not named… it is not specific which is why this prayer is relevant for any time or place…even for us today… But some great sin… some great divide is clearly present. The people clearly are in need of God’s grace and love and mercy. “Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation.” The people are crying out to God for God to once again set aside God’s anger and restore the people… granting salvation and bringing joy. It is a cry for mercy and restoration for the people of Israel in their present time… and it is also the cry that God’s people within this nation today need to issue… Christians like to think of God as always loving and forgiving… and that is so very true… BUT… even though we are offered salvation by our faith in Christ… we forget that there are real consequences to our words and actions… words and actions that can often hurt both other people… and God. One of those consequences is our own damaged relationship with God. It really is a sobering thought when we consider that God's anger just might be directed against us. That we might have brought God’s wrath upon ourselves. It is so much easier to imagine God's wrath being poured out on our enemies. But let’s face it… many of our own words and actions in this time, in this nation would definitely have angered God. And although this is something we all DO need to consider as individuals… let’s remember that this prayer is for the community… for the nation in crisis. And let’s face it… this nation IS in crisis. I’ve heard people comment that God has turned his back on us… but that is simply NOT the case… the reality is that… As a nation, we have turned our back on God, and we are suffering for it. But thankfully, we find that the plea for restoration moves us to the third portion of this prayer… which brings a new voice. The voice is prophetic, and the message being delivered is a message of assurance… it provides a view of the world as it can be with God. It begins with the call and a warning: “I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—but let them not turn to folly.” The call… Listen to the Lord, really hear and heed what God says and God will grant peace to his people. The warning is a prayer… that God’s people will NOT return to “folly”… to the stupidity that separated them from God in the first place. It is a reminder that the people and God have been through this before, and human nature is such that the people will probably end up there again. That is where the assurance comes in because the remainder of this beautiful psalm gives us a wonderful glimpse into God's kingdom… what life with God looks like: steadfast love, faithfulness, righteousness and peace… the promised restoration that involves the whole of creation, reuniting heaven and earth as “Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.” And “The Lord will indeed give what is good…” You see… The word of God is a word of hope, and it seeks to call the community to trust and faithfulness in the God who will bring about this salvation. It declares that God's involvement in the world brings goodness and wholeness in life. Life that is portrayed as a full, and complete… life lived to the fullest in relationship with God. This is such a strong word of hope, encouragement and assurance for a community crisis, and as a community in crisis we need to refocus our hearts and minds on what is truly important because our hope comes from the knowledge that God is willing to forgive those who repent and return to God. But what does this mean for us as a nation in the midst of crisis? We are so divided… angry and afraid… How can we bring change to a whole nation? Well… Psalm 85 is a prayer… a prayer for a people who need to see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is our reminder of what WE need to do. First, we must remember the forgiveness and restoration we have already received and experienced… reminding ourselves and one another of God’s grace and mercy because remembering can help the disheartened to look up again to what can become a reality… Secondly, we then need to pray… we need to pray for restoration and forgiveness for ourselves and for this nation… It is time for all people of faith to cry out to God… “Will you be angry with us forever? … For every believer to set aside their differences and ask God to “Restore us… put away your displeasure… revive us… show us your unfailing love… and grant us your salvation.” We need to refocus our hearts and minds on the promises of God… let our faith grow and guide us… because our faith and our prayers are really the only hope our nation has. It is by our faith that we are able to strive to be obedient and follow God’s commands… commands to Love God with all we are… AND to love our neighbors… and one another… commands that call us to care for the poor and vulnerable people of our society and have us striving for justice and peace for all… Our faith is what will enable us to change… to learn how to live as God calls us to live here in the present… always moving towards that promised hope. With faith, we can look to the past in order to see the glorious possibilities of the future. I mean… it is pretty clear… our nation needs healing… we need restoration and revival… We need to turn back to God… We need to remember what is important and open our ears… our minds… and our hearts to truly listen to God and then accept God’s guidance and work to live in God’s ways. If we can do this… restoration, peace and salvation will be achieved. Amen.
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Yeon Shin
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