By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher
Text: Psalm
80
Ephesians
6:18
praying at
all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that
end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all
the saints
(ESV)
In a world of hatred and
perversion, the Church should be strong and able to stand against the hatred
and perversion of the world but instead, the Church appears powerless. This is
why we must put on the armor of God and pray without ceasing so that we can
withstand the attacks of the enemy that can weaken the Church (Ephesians
6:10-18). We must also pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit so we
can have the power of God within us to effectively be witnesses for Christ in a
world desperately needing Revival (Acts
1:8). Asaph’s prayer in Psalm
80 provides a pattern for how the Church should pray.
When we find ourselves in
need or when we have heavy hearts at what we see happening around us, we should
do as Asaph did and turn to God by,
1)
Turning to God as the one able to save us
(Psalm
80:1-3) – Asaph begins this psalm by addressing God as the Shepherd of
Israel, the one who led Joseph like a flock, and who sits enthroned upon the
cherubim who shines forth (Psalm
80:1). He then turns to God, asking Him to stir up His might and to come and
save Israel, asking for restoration and that God’s face would shine, or smile
upon them (Psalm
80:2-3).
2)
Making your case to God (Psalm
80:4-7) – Asaph asks God how long He will be angry with Israel, feeding
them with the bread of tears and making them drink the full measure of tears (Psalm
80:4-5). He also lets God know that Israel is a contention for their
neighbors and that their enemies laugh among themselves about Israel (Psalm
80:6). Again Asaph asks for God to restore and save Israel and that God’s
face would shine upon them (Psalm
80:7).
3)
Asaph remembers God’s past deliverances,
the extent of God’s blessings upon the land, and Israel’s present broken-down
state (Psalm
80:8-13) – Asaph then remembers how God took a vine, Israel, out of Egypt and
then planted that vine in the Promised Land (Psalm
80:8). God cleared the ground of the enemies in the land so the vine could
take deep root and fill the land to the extent the mountains were covered by
its shade and the cedars with its branches (Psalm
80:9-10). The vine of Israel sent out its branches to the sea, the Mediterranean,
and its shoots to the river, probably the Euphrates (Psalm
80:11). He is reminding God that the nation of Israel once covered a wide
area but now its walls have broken down, passers-by pick its fruit, and the
boar ravages it with all that move in the field feeding on it (Psalm
80:12-13).
4)
Asaph makes his request to God (Psalm
80:14-19) – Asaph asks God to once again look down from heaven and turn
towards Israel, having regard for the vine he brought out of Egypt and planted in
the Promised Land (Psalm
80:14-15). The enemies of Israel have cut down and burned the vine God
planted with Asaph asking that these enemies may perish at the rebuke of God’s
face (Psalm
80:16). Asaph asks God to place his hand upon the man of His right hand, the
son of man that God has made strong for Himself (Psalm
80:17). This passage is a reference to the Son of Man, Jesus who sits at
God’s right hand (Acts
2:33; 5:31; 7:56). Asaph promises that Israel will not turn back from Him
based upon the strength He has imparted upon the son of man, promising Israel
will call on the name of the Lord, asking that God give them life (Psalm
80:18). Asaph concludes by once again asking God to restore and save Israel,
and that His face will shine or smile upon Israel (Psalm
80:19).
The text does not
disclose what was occurring that caused Asaph to believe the Lord was angry.
However, it left the people of Israel in tears with them becoming a contention
to their neighbors, with their enemies laughing at them. While we do not know
the context of what was occurring, we do know that Asaph had concerns about it
and did the right thing by bringing his concerns to God. Asaph did this because
he was familiar with the way God shepherded his people when He delivered them
from Egypt and threw out the enemies of God living in the Promised Land (Psalm
80:8-11). Asaph was also comfortable with asking God why he was angry (Psalm
80:4) and why He had allowed the walls of the city to be broken down and
the land left desolate (Psalm
80:12-13). Asaph was also bold enough in his relationship with God to ask
God to look down from heaven and restore Israel, let his face shine upon them,
and save His people.
The drawback of living in the information age is the
bombardment of news, mostly negative news about what is wrong in the world.
This information is also full of information from the woke culture that is full
of ungodliness asking society, and the Church to accept abortion, gay marriage,
transgenderism, and critical race theory. As followers of Christ, we are to arm
ourselves with the armor of God and to pray at all times in the Spirit, with
all prayer and supplication (Ephesians 6:10-18).
The prayer of Asaph in Psalm 80
is a pattern to use when interceding in prayer for what we see happening in our
world. Please join me in praying whenever the Spirit of God moves us,
especially when we hear something disturbing in the news.
In closing, I want to
invite anyone reading this that does not have a personal relationship with
Christ to pray with me now, so you do not need to face the ungodliness in our
world without hope.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23)
and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse
me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe
you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now
declare you Lord of my life.
Let the Church not give
up on or compromise with the world and its woke culture and instead pray
without ceasing in intercessory prayer for God to restore people and our land
to a right standing with God. May God challenge and bless everyone reading this
post.
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