Reflections
Psalm 80: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19 (Read)
“Lord, make us turn to you, and we shall be saved.”
The Psalm is a prayer to restore
Israel, and by extension to restore us,
as a scattered people of God.
The Psalm is well adapted to our
prayer during Advent. We are a people
scattered and separated from God, and
we await His coming. He alone can
'make us turn to Him' and convert us.
“Shepherd of Israel, lend an ear;
come to save us.”
Our psalmist makes a direct appeal
to God to shepherd us. “Turn again
Lord, attend to this vine.” Just as
the Lord tends to His vineyard, He
protects a shoot planted by His right
hand. The coming of Christ is intended
to revive us, restore our strength.
As the Psalm says, “Then we will not
withdraw from you; give us new life, and
we will call upon your name.”
Where does our hope for revival
come from? It comes from our Savior,
our cornerstone, sent by the Lord.
In Him we are restored. “Lord of
hosts restore us; let your face shine
upon us, that we may be saved.”
We all need to be renewed from
time to time when our faith grows
lukewarm, when our hearts harden
due to the sins that separate us from
God. We, like the Israelites, need
to beg for God’s mercy, to petition
the Lord and seek his peace, the peace
that will guard our hearts and minds,
and restore us as his people.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm says, 'Lord, make us turn to you.' Have you noticed
at times when we stray off His path how the Lord tugs at each of us
so that we return to His ways. Give an example from your own experience.
2. Our psalmist is writing about the scattered people of Israel,
but his words may apply to each of us when we feel separated from God.
In what way are you inspired by the Psalm's verses to repent and seek renewal?
My dependence on the Lord is 24/7. It is my sinful nature that is in the way and blocks the way. So, due to my weakness I try to plead the Lord 24/7 not to abandon me for I am weak and fragile.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I feel distant from God and feel that I have gone astray, I examine myself to see what sins block me from seeing His shining face.
ReplyDeleteLast Monday I went to our parish's Community Penance Service for individual confession. I humbly admitted my sins and asked for God's forgiveness. All of sudden I felt warm and tears welled up in my eyes. I allowed the Holy Spirit to convict me of my sins so that Jesus could cleanse my sins.
At the same time peace and joy overflowed within me, and I had a feeling of being contented all over because I was in the presence of our merciful God. I experienced how it feels for my sins to be forgiven by God's Grace.
I felt like a new person - a better person. I started to read God's Word again before bed time. I want to restart my fellowship with Him by reading his Word and by saying his prayers. God restores me as one of his people when I turn to Him.
This is the season of reflection and preparation. We need to refresh and renew ourselves. We need to be properly grateful, and thank God for all our many blessings. If we live in the US of A, we all have much to be thankful for. May God continue to bless all of us.
ReplyDelete