Exile Opens the Ears; Ps. 85

May the mumbling commence!

Entering exile is a number one way of opening clogged ears to listen to the Lord.  Psalm 85 says it quite well.  Read it below:

You showed favor to your land, O Lord;

you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 

You forgave the iniquity of your people

and covered all their sins.                                 Selah 

You set aside all your wrath

            and turned from your fierce anger. 

Restore us again, O 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, O Lord,

and grant us your salvation. 

I will listen to what God the Lord will say;

he promises peace to his people, his saints –

but let them not return to folly. 

Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,

that his glory may dwell in our land. 

Love and faithfulness meet together;

righteousness and peace kiss each other. 

Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,

and righteousness looks down from heaven. 

The Lord will indeed give what is good,

and our land will yield its harvest. 

Righteousness goes before him

and prepares the way for his steps.

I recall the Lord’s faithfulness to His chosen people, just as the psalmist does.  I recall the Lord’s faithfulness and promises to His chosen people in a time of distress.  My only hope lies in the Lord remembering His faithfulness and promises to His chosen people.  I ask: “Why does the Lord’s hand seem to be so heavily against us?” 

I expected the crumbling of world systems of economy and justice and peace.  But, why does the church of God seem to be dwindling in my neck of the woods?  I look around the church in North America, and I mainly see apathy.  Church bodies are shrinking.  Young adults seem to be abandoning ship. 

Wherein lays the hope for the future of the church?  Peace and passion and wisdom and salvation and glory come from listening to the Lord.  If our hope lies only in the Lord, then we must be vigilant and attentive to every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.  The word of the Lord will sustain us much better than any food known to humanity.

So let’s work on rightful relationships to the Lord and to the people around us and to the creation we enjoy.  By helping to establish such righteousness by listening to the Lord, we prepare the way for the Lord to once again actively save us in the days to come. 

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out