God Speaks
79 A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, pagan nations have conquered your land,
your special possession.
They have defiled your holy Temple
and made Jerusalem a heap of ruins.
2 They have left the bodies of your servants
as food for the birds of heaven.
The flesh of your godly ones
has become food for the wild animals.
3 Blood has flowed like water all around Jerusalem;
no one is left to bury the dead.
4 We are mocked by our neighbors,
an object of scorn and derision to those around us.
5 O Lord, how long will you be angry with us? Forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you—
on kingdoms that do not call upon your name.
7 For they have devoured your people Israel,
making the land a desolate wilderness.
8 Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors!
Let your compassion quickly meet our needs,
for we are on the brink of despair.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation!
Help us for the glory of your name.
Save us and forgive our sins
for the honor of your name.
10 Why should pagan nations be allowed to scoff,
asking, “Where is their God?”
Show us your vengeance against the nations,
for they have spilled the blood of your servants.
11 Listen to the moaning of the prisoners.
Demonstrate your great power by saving those condemned to die.
12 O Lord, pay back our neighbors seven times
for the scorn they have hurled at you.
13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will thank you forever and ever,
praising your greatness from generation to generation.
80 For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be sung to the tune “Lilies of the Covenant.”
1 Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph’s descendants like a flock.
O God, enthroned above the cherubim,
display your radiant glory
2 to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Show us your mighty power.
Come to rescue us!
3 Turn us again to yourself, O God.
Make your face shine down upon us.
Only then will we be saved.
4 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,
how long will you be angry with our prayers?
5 You have fed us with sorrow
and made us drink tears by the bucketful.
6 You have made us the scorn of neighboring nations.
Our enemies treat us as a joke.
7 Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven’s Armies.
Make your face shine down upon us.
Only then will we be saved.
8 You brought us from Egypt like a grapevine;
you drove away the pagan nations and transplanted us into your land.
9 You cleared the ground for us,
and we took root and filled the land.
10 Our shade covered the mountains;
our branches covered the mighty cedars.
11 We spread our branches west to the Mediterranean Sea;
our shoots spread east to the Euphrates River.
12 But now, why have you broken down our walls
so that all who pass by may steal our fruit?
13 The wild boar from the forest devours it,
and the wild animals feed on it.
14 Come back, we beg you, O God of Heaven’s Armies.
Look down from heaven and see our plight.
Take care of this grapevine
15 that you yourself have planted,
this son you have raised for yourself.
16 For we are chopped up and burned by our enemies.
May they perish at the sight of your frown.
17 Strengthen the man you love,
the son of your choice.
18 Then we will never abandon you again.
Revive us so we can call on your name once more.
19 Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
Make your face shine down upon us.
Only then will we be saved.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: This author is not equating Ukraine and Kyiv with Judah and Jerusalem, but the situation there in 2022 appears to be similar. Both were under severe attack from neighboring countries and were turning to the Lord God for help. It is also true of the nation of Israel throughout its history since 1948 to 2022.
Prayer: Dear God who is commander of Heaven’s Armies, please defend Your people, wherever they are, from any kind of attack: physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. Help us, O God and only Savior. Help us for the glory of Your name. Save us and forgive our many sins for the honor of Your name (reputation). Pour out Your justified wrath on Your enemies and ours. Avenge the blood and lives of the innocent and set the prisoners free. Demonstrate Your great power by saving those condemned to die through no fault of their own. As a result of this intervention, You will be praised and thanked from generation to generation. Please listen to Your people as they cry out to You, O God Most High. Show us Your power. Come to rescue us. Thank You that Jesus, God the Son, did just that for all who will turn to Him in faith. He will forgive their sin and adopt them into the very family of God as ruling heirs. The Holy Spirit will then equip them to live as victors, conquerors, and ambassadors of the kingdom of God. Turn us again to Yourself, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies. Make Your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. For the glory of Your name. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will memorize and use in prayer Psalm 79:9.
- I will ask the LORD God what He wants me to do regarding the suffering of believers I see around me or around the world. Then I will do it.
- I will memorize and use in prayer Psalm 80 verses 3, 7, and 19, which are nearly identical.
- I will spend specific time daily praying for revival, renewal, reformation, and redemption to come on myself, my loved ones, my community, and my nation.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.