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"A Prayer for the Nation's Restoration"

   Psalm 80

   Good News Translation (GNT)

   "Hebrew Title:

   A psalm by Asaph; a testimony"

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  1     Listen to us, O Shepherd of Israel;
         hear us, leader of your flock.
      Seated on your throne above the winged
      creatures,
  2     reveal yourself to the tribes of Ephraim,
         Benjamin, and Manasseh.
         Show us your strength;
         come and save us!

  3     Bring us back, O God!
         Show us your mercy, and we will be
         saved!

  4     How much longer, Lord God Almighty,
         will you be angry with your people's
         prayers?
  5     You have given us sorrow to eat,
         a large cup of tears to drink.
  6     You let the surrounding nations fight over
      our land;
         our enemies insult us.

  7     Bring us back, Almighty God!
         Show us your mercy, and we will be
         saved!

  8     You brought a grapevine out of Egypt;
         you drove out other nations and planted it
         in their land.
  9     You cleared a place for it to grow;
         its roots went deep, and it spread out over
         the whole land.
10     It covered the hills with its shade;
         its branches overshadowed the giant
         cedars.
11     It extended its branches to the
      Mediterranean Sea
         and as far as the Euphrates River.
12     Why did you break down the fences around
      it?
         Now anyone passing by can steal its
         grapes;
13        wild hogs trample it down,
         and wild animals feed on it.

14     Turn to us, Almighty God!
         Look down from heaven at us;
         come and save your people!
15     Come and save this grapevine that you
      planted,
         this young vine you made grow so strong!

16     Our enemies have set it on fire and cut it
      down;
         look at them in anger and destroy them!
17     Preserve and protect the people you have
      chosen,
         the nation you made so strong.
18     We will never turn away from you again;
         keep us alive, and we will praise you.

19     Bring us back, Lord God Almighty.
         Show us your mercy, and we will be
         saved.

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Commentary taken from 'word-on-the-web'
supplied by Scripture Union

'A Prayer for the
Nation's Restoration'

The note at the beginning of this psalm links it with the dedication of the temple and to David.

One would have expected to read rather formal and communal words and sentiments, but we encounter highly personal language and experience. The words in verse 4 suggest that the psalmist was in the temple even as he urged his fellow-worshippers to praise God, but the rest of the psalm is couched in very personal (though not individualistic) language.

There is a huge sense of relief in the psalm, as if the psalmist has discovered for himself that the God worshipped in the temple is indeed a God who listens to answers the prayers of his people (as he had promised).
The psalmist was in dire straits, as expressed by words such as 'enemies', but God had listened and responded to his desperate cry for help and mercy.

The language is general enough to be helpful to most people in most situations. What a wonderful psalm to appropriate the next time you worship God in church! God is real.
He does answer prayer and responds to our urgent calls (John 1:11).

He is faithful and merciful and turns our darkness into joy. He is our ever-present help. We can therefore praise and thank him for ever - along with all the others with similar personal experiences and thoughts. The worshipping congregation is then united in such wonderful worship that is built on the real actions of the true God and the actual personal experiences of the gathered worshippers. Such worship would help individuals and the whole community, and it would please God immensely.

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