When I hear people considering the dire state of the church the answer is often a technique of ministry or to humble ourselves and repent. The underlying thrust is to take initiative – “This is my problem how do I solve it?”
Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel … Show us your mighty power. Come to rescue us!
Psalm 80v1-2
The writer makes no pretentions to know the solution. He simply prays.
Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.
Psalm 80v3
The writer knows the Lord has power to save. While he does not know how to identify the problem. He just knows there is one.
There is humility here. He is not even up to the task of knowing what to pray.
When I look back at the solutions I have been exited about, I have to conclude that the focus became me or a convincing speaker. When it did not work, the question that persisted was, what had I done wrong?
Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.
Psalm 80v7
The Sovereign LORD might be waiting for me to recognise that it is he not I who holds the answers. When I wait for him he might even use me on his journey of salvation!
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Photo by Hadija Saidi on Unsplash