As we look back on this past year, which is rapidly coming to a close, most of us would agree that it has been a difficult year for just about everyone. A global pandemic, bringing death to many, and the resulting lockdowns causing the loss of jobs and financial hardship and even ruin to multitudes. There have been riots across the country, and the destruction of businesses, homes, and private property resulting from them. There has also been political turmoil and division, with groups of people unable to even be civil to each other. One wonders what has become of peace, of mercy, truth, and goodness or decency. As we read through our psalm for this week, the psalmist speaks of the Lord bringing these virtues back to His people.
There have been difficult times all throughout history, and the people of Israel had their fair share of them. This was mainly due to their own sin and disobedience to the Lord God. As the psalm begins the writer tells how the Lord turned around the bad fortune of His people (vs. 1-3). Throughout their history, because of their sin, God had sometimes allowed the enemies of Israel to overrun either the whole country or various parts of the land. Frequently when this happened some of the people were taken into captivity, most notably by the Babylonians. However, when our psalm was written the Lord was forgiving His people, and bringing them back to their land.
Life must still have continued to be difficult, as the psalmist seemed to feel that God was still angry with His people (vs. 4-5). He questioned whether God would be angry with them forever, as from his perspective, it might seem like that. Now he is praying that the Lord will turn His anger away from them. When we are going through an extended difficult time, it might feel like God is angry with us forever, too (vs. 5). We then pray, too, like the psalmist did, for God to show us His mercy (vs. 7).
Like we do today, the psalmist was desiring mercy, truth, peace and God’s righteousness, goodness and decency in his land and among the people. He wanted to see days with God’s goodness, and not feel like His anger and wrath were upon the land. The psalmist knew that when God’s anger came, it was because of the people’s sin, but it was still difficult to live through. So what was the solution? It is the same as today, and that is that the people need a great spiritual revival (vs. 6). The people then, as now, were spiritually weak, spiritually ill, many even spiritually dead, yet feeling that they were alright. They were just going through the motions of their faith, but their heart was not in it. Just as a physically weak or ill person needs a jolt of health to improve, so the people then, and people today as well, need a spiritual revival. Spiritual revival restores us to a right relationship with God. It also returns us to a place where we can delight in Him, and celebrate His goodness, love, and mercy.
The psalmist knew this, and he pleaded for God to revive His people, bringing them back to spiritual life. Periodically there have been great revivals in many countries. When this happens we see a proliferation of the virtues the psalmist desires (vs. 10-11). When revival happens, then people show mercy to one another, rather than being out for their blood. God’s truth abounds, along with His righteousness. When there is a spiritual revival, when people turn back to the Lord and are on fire for Him, He will pour out His love and goodness upon us (vs. 12). There will be peace among people. As the psalmist says, mercy and truth will meet together, and righteousness and truth will kiss.
As believers, we should pray as the psalmist did, for the Lord to send revival to His people. It is only when we have a great revival in the Church, that the conditions in the world will have a chance to improve, bringing God’s mercy, truth, righteousness, and peace.
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