Psalm 85 - A Beautiful Bend

The son of Korah who wrote Psalm 85 started off in a prayer much like the one that's in my heart today.  "Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away Your displeasure toward us...  Will you not revive us again that Your people may rejoice in You?  Show us Your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us Your salvation."  Yes!  What a gift to read these Psalms and find that they help me define what's happening in me. This is just what I want--my heart beats strangely these days.  I don't feel close to the Lord much of the time.  I feel this quiet deadness in me.  Whether it's sin or a tough season or my current chemical makeup, "Restore us again" is a beautiful prayer for me today.  

The author did the vulnerable thing by admiting the problem and adjuring the Lord to help.  What happens next?  I've unlearned this hundreds of times, but I confess that my heart still expects a disappointed lecture from the Lord in moments like this.  But that's not what happens.  The author quieted down and listened to the Lord's response, glistening in our Bible:  "I listen to what God the Lord says;" and then everything changes.  Now the Psalm bends in a beautiful way as the Lord takes the pen.  Our God is an impassioned Poet.  

"He promises peace to His people, His faithful servants...Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.  Love and faithfulness meet together, righteousness and peace kiss each other.  Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.  The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.  Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps."

The Lord handles these concepts (righteousness, truth, love, peace, salvation, glory) in such a friendly way because He's the Creator of them.  They're His paint.  The psalmist was asking earlier for the Lord's love and salvation.  The Lord responds by using those two as a base coat to then add the imagery and color and future and hope you read above.  Beautiful.  The Lord writes like a mountain top view.  Sometimes you just stop and look and breathe it in.

The Lord is so much more than I remember Him to be.  More merciful, hopeful, loving, assuring, alive and beautiful.  What a Lord I get to serve.