Psalm 85 ~ Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.

Psalm 85

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible

Lord, you were favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you covered all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your hot anger.

4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation toward us!
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.

8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;
but let them not turn back to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
and righteousness looks down from the sky.
12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him
and make his footsteps a way.

Last night our Church had our first Wednesday service of the summer to pray and repent, for ourselves, for the upcoming Response - a non-denominational prayer event, August 6th. Seeking God's mercy and guidance for troubling events for our country and the world. (Put on by Governor Rick Perry.)

Yesterday I had a phone call from a friend asking why her neighbors are a mess (in the way they behave towards one another) and friends too. I thought of all the people I know and very few seem to be untouched these days. And a Christian blog I read was saying how painfully the Church doesn't strive to be an equal place of respect for the poor and the rich. With lack of courtesy and neglect that bites into a soulful sorrow. Then an email from a long-time ago, dear friend asking why I would want to attend a prayer meeting when the outlandish right wing evangelicals support it. And fear... this will become a powerful new fascism. And then hearing from someone else this is just a Governor Perry political bid, no way he'd attend.

And I thought about the left wing claiming to be all the "Houston Clergy" denouncing a prayer meeting. They aren't all that large. It seems to be mostly one very liberal church listing as many people they could claim as clergy.

The word that comes to mind is this. Wow. This prayer meeting causes a lot of upset. In a time of trouble.

So, our Minister, Clark, said that a lot of 2 Chronicles 11, 12 and 13 is going to be read at The Response. And Clark wanted to talk about it. The people and King Solomon were in the midst of celebrating God's Glory filling the brand new Temple. The people and King Solomon spent a lot of the passages praising God. Then God says trouble will come. Nations will collapse. Economies will crumble. But the Temple is where you come to know you have refuge in God. The world was created to have difficulties in this life. In the midst of strife, there is always a place for you to go. To God. To the one who cares where you will be for eternity. To the one who cares what happens to you in this life and how you feel about your life. To the one who says cast aside your own troubles and care for others as He cares for you.

Repent. Re-connect to God. Re-new. Have Hope.

Psalm 108:13
With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.


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