Psalm 80:1-7
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
I love to hang around in the entryway when our preschoolers are getting picked-up after school. When each child sees the face of their beloved parent, or grandparent, in the doorway, they light-up like a Christmas tree. Whether it has been a few minutes, or a few days, that reaction of absolute joy is the same.
When God looks at God’s beloved children, God’s face lights-up like a Christmas tree. When we’re struggling with difficult times in our lives, or with dark thoughts and feelings, we long for the brightness of God’s loving face to bring us back into the light – to make everything better just by being there.
The psalmist’s plea for God to restore us and to save us by looking at us with that shining face of pure love is comforting. It reminds us that feeling disconnected at times happens to everyone and that God will never abandon or forsake us.
Prayer: Luminous Lord, thank you for shining on us, even when the darkness is all we can see. AMEN