Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!
– Psalm 80:3

Three times with slight variations we read this refrain in Psalm 80.  What a great prayer for us to pray.  How much we need this today!

In the Psalm, a neighboring country has invaded and ravaged Israel.  Israel desperately needs salvation from their political enemies.  They need God’s face to shine upon them.  They need God to restore them. 

Today, enemies have invaded and ravaged the church collectively and each of us individually.  We desperately need salvation from our enemies.  We need God’s face to shine upon us.  We need God to restore us.

The enemy of idolatry has invaded the church and our lives.  We treasure money, shopping, possessions, beauty, dieting, food, people, family, reputation, popularity, sex, sports, TV, sleep, comfort, or ease more than we treasure Christ.  We trust in these idols to bring happiness, fulfillment, and security rather than trusting in Christ.  Idols abound around us.  And too often we bow down.  Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

The enemy of busyness has invaded the church and our lives.  We have filled our lives with trivial matters that mean nothing in light of eternity.  We are too busy to spend much time in the Word, much time in prayer, much time in worship, much time with God’s people, much time in evangelism, much time in service.  Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

The enemy of “respectable sins” has invaded the church and our lives.  Ungodliness, anxiety, frustration, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience, irritability, anger, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, sins of the tongue, and worldliness are tolerated among us.  Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

The enemy of moralism and  legalism have invaded the church and our lives.  We have lost sight of the gospel, replacing it with goodness.  We seek to be good, not godly.  And by example and teaching, we seek to make our kids the same.  We have resorted to graceless keeping of Biblical commands mixed with man-made rules in hopes of earning God’s continued favor, rather than dwelling in the gospel that empowers and motivates a godly life.  Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Do any of these enemies ring true in your church?  In your life?  Then let us join together in repenting of our idolatry, our busyness, our respectable sins, our moralism and legalism.  Let us cry out together to our Shepherd and King.  Only he can restore.  Only he can save.  Only he can revive.  Let us long to have his face shine upon us.  Let us join together in crying out:

Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.