Return & Revive

¹⁴ Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts, look down from heaven and see, and visit this vine ¹⁵ And the vineyard which your right hand has planted, and the branch that You made strong for Yourself.  ¹⁶ It is burned with fire, it is cut down, They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.   ¹⁷ Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.  ¹⁸ Then we will not turn back from You.  Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.  ¹⁹ Restore us, O Lord God of hosts, cause Your face to shine,  and we shall be saved. Psalm 80:14-19  

During Advent, we prepare for the coming of the Lord.  We look toward His birth among mankind.  In honor of His birth, we celebrate, exchanging gifts.  But why should we get gifts?  What have we done to deserve them?  The magi brought gifts to honor a king.  Are we kings that gifts should be brought to us?

The fact is, Yeshua, coming to earth as a human, to live with man in his humble estate, was himself a gift – a gift for all mankind.  And just as we have the option to decline a gift when offered, so too, has mankind been able to decline the gift God gave us then and continues to give us today.  We can say “no thanks” and continue on without it.  And, just as with gifts we receive over the years, that we sometimes grow tired of and cast aside, the same can hold true for the gift of God to us in His Son.  Sometimes it is accepted, but later is set aside and neglected.  Other things seem better, more important to us.

God loves us and wants us in His family, but He is willing to let us go if that’s what we want.  But what about when we are in need and want to come back?  Will God just take us back?  Yes, He will.  But it may not seem to happen when we ask.  He may have something He wants us to learn first.  His forgiveness is there, however, whether we see it or not.  And, if we remain faithful, the answer will come and His love will show.

In the verses from Psalm 80, the psalmist is praying for Israel’s redemption and return to God’s favor.  Asaph is looking at the loss of the northern tribes in captivity and praying for God to restore Israel. But what he asked for then, we can still ask today.       

I’ve been praying like the psalmist here.  I don’t want my own inhibitions and fears to hinder what God can do.  While I want to be realistic, I know God can do more than I can even imagine.  We’ve been going through a rough patch at church. We’ve been stressed, worried, trying to figure out what God wants from us and/or for us.  So this psalm is one we can pray, just as Asaph did, and I do. 

In a recent email, Everett Wilson wrote:  “It just occurs to me that for nearly twenty centuries God has been reviving his church.  Now we are revitalizing it.  We have Him beat by two syllables.”  That made me laugh, and I realized that the joy has returned.  However, I think we need to revive before we can revitalize.  We can’t change the church without changing ourselves.

 What I am seeing in my church these days is a remnant that is faithful and trusting.  Some are returning “home” to join us once again.  Leaning on God has become the norm, not just an idea.  We have turned back to the Lord, and call on His name with trust, love and hope.  So whatever may come, we are once again being given a gift from God this Advent season.  Again, it is not for anything we’ve done or are doing; it is not something we deserve; it is simply God’s love pouring down on us as we turn to Him and return His love.  Whether the vineyard He has planted here revives or not, we ourselves are being revived and that is a gift beyond measure. 

 Prayer:  Abba, Father, forgive all those times we put You last, not first in our lives.  Forgive our pride, our stubborn determinations, our rationalizations, our self-centeredness.  Thank You for Your great love, Your forgiveness, Your guidance.  Reach down to us and bring us renewal and revival in any and all ways that we need it.  Grant us hearts willing to change where change is needed, and the wisdom to see and follow where You lead.  Amen.

Emily Montfort

 

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