Hope springs eternal

Jane Denniston December 11, 2023 2 5

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Psalm 85 (NRSVA)

1 

Lord, you were favourable to your land;
    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

2 

You forgave the iniquity of your people;
    you pardoned all their sin.Selah

3 

You withdrew all your wrath;
    you turned from your hot anger.

4 

Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
    and put away your indignation towards us.

5 

Will you be angry with us for ever?
    Will you prolong your anger to all generations?

6 

Will you not revive us again,
    so that your people may rejoice in you?

7 

Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
    and grant us your salvation.

8 

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
    for he will speak peace to his people,
    to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.

9 

Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
    that his glory may dwell in our land.

10 

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
    righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

11 

Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
    and righteousness will look down from the sky.

12 

The Lord will give what is good,
    and our land will yield its increase.

13 

Righteousness will go before him,
    and will make a path for his steps.

‘How long, O Lord?’ is a phrase which punctuates the Psalms. The Psalmists were not afraid to take all their pain to God — anger, hurt, sorrow, despair… Although that particular phrase does not appear in this Psalm, all the attendant feelings are there. The pattern is one that is repeated time and time again in the Psalms. Praise to God for his past goodness is followed by petitions and entreaties that God would not forget his people. Lord, you were good to us once, be good to us again. How long must we wait for the warmth of your loving face rather than the cold of your turned back? But then the note of praise. Even in the darkest of times the Psalmist has faith in God, that the dark will come to an end, and rejoices in God’s faithfulness. The great I AM who was, and is, and ever shall be, can be trusted. He is faithful and so we praise him, even in the midst of our trials.

The Psalmist’s ability to praise God in the midst of the worst of circumstances is a lesson to us all. His ability to find God in the darkest of times is challenging. And so, in the midst of his imprecations we see this lovely phrase: ‘Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.’ In the busyness, care, and concern of this season, can we see moments of love and faithfulness? In this season of peace and goodwill what does it mean to be righteous?

Prayer:

Lord God,

help us, this Advent,

to be alert for signs of your presence:

your footsteps ahead of us in the snow,

or splashing in the puddles,

or echoing in the darkness.

And in response to your presence

may our love be steadfast and faithful;

use us to bring peace to our communities

and in so doing, find the righteousness

that you value above all:

justice, mercy, and humility, Amen.