Bible Reading: Psalm 80:1-19
“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, and shine forth” – Psalm 80:1(KJV).
There is a gross misconception in the heart of some people concerning the smoothness of the relationship between God and man. God indeed wants a smooth relationship, but many times we annoy Him. Our actions gets Him to step out of the way, and this gives way for the enemy to ravage us.
God leads us as the Great Shepherd; He disciplines us whenever we err and is always willing to restore us to Himself whenever we realize our error. The Psalmist realizes the efforts God put into bringing His people out of Egypt, hence he referred to the Israelites as a vine. God also drove out nations out of their lands for their sakes. He prepared the land for Israel as a nation which they occupied with massive blessings (see verse. 8-11).
The problem that the people witnessed as stated in verse 12-13 were so severe, amongst which are, removing the hedge of their protection, exposing them to frequent harassment by their enemies, boars from the forest destroyed their vineyard and wild beast fed on their sweat. This brought about the question raised in verse 4: “O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people” and the consequences they were facing in verse 5 “You feed them with the bread of tears, and giveth them tears to drink in great measure.”
Folks, in case the above describes your situation, why not make a decision and retrace your step back to where you missed it? Remember, the cry for restoration in this passage would not have been needed if they have not deviated. Once that is done, God shall march out again with you and conquer the territories the enemy has seized away from you and His face shall shine on you again. It is for this reason that Christ came to restore all that the enemy has taken from you. God will avenge you against your enemies when you come to him through His Son Jesus. He said in 2 Corinthians 10:6(KJV) “And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”
Prayer: Restore me, O LORD God of hosts; cause your face to shine upon me and I shall be saved in Jesus name.
Rev. Julius Oluwole