St. Aidan's Anglican Church
  • Home
  • Worship Online
  • The Preachers Blog
  • Bible in a Year
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Prayer Requests
  • Request Pastoral Care
  • Youth
  • Give
  • Statement of Faith
  • Video Archive
    • 2025 Videos
    • 2024 Videos
    • Real Lives
    • 2023 Videos
    • 2022 Videos
    • 2021 Videos
    • 2020 Videos
  • Sermon Audio Archive
    • 2020 Sermons
    • 2019 Sermons
    • 2019 Sermon Series >
      • Gospel Centered Eternities November 2019
      • The Real Joy of Easter - Holy Week 2019
    • 2018 Sermons
    • 2018 Sermon Series >
      • Gospel Centred Church Spring 2018
      • A Gospel Shaped Church Fall 2018
    • 2017 Sermon Series >
      • The Servant King Christmas 2016
      • The Saviour King Lent 2017
      • The Victorious King Holy Week 2017
      • The Living King Easter 2017
      • The Brother King Fall 2017
      • Worship the King Advent 2017
    • 2016 Sermon Series >
      • Real Obedience Lent 2016
      • Unity of the Church
      • The Servant King Christmas 2016
    • 2015 Sermon Series >
      • Real Gifts 2015
      • Real Mission 2015
      • Mission Discerned
    • 2014 Sermon Series >
      • Real Church 2014
      • Real Lives 2014
    • 2013 Sermon Series >
      • Real God 2013
    • Sermon Archive From 2014 - 2017
  • Christianity 101

the  Preachers  blog

Blogs are posted every Wednesday, except in July and August

Revive, Restore by Lynne McCarthy

7/18/2022

 
Psalm 85

Observe  Look what God has done for Israel! Verses 1-3 recount His favour to Jacob, His deep love and faithfulness, restoring, forgiving, turning away His wrath. They ask: Will you restore us, Lord, and forgive our apostasy and unfaithfulness? Will you stay angry? Will you revive us yet again? Will you save us? (5-7)

Provided they don’t turn back to folly (8)  ( = moral stupidity), His salvation which they asked for (7) is to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. (9)

He will give them more than they ask: Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other (10-13) -- restoration, in complete harmony with Him. He gives them what is good (12), to prosper them in His righteous way.

Interpret  Psalm 85 is a “community lament”, asking God to restore after their unfaithfulness. The restored ‘glory’ is God's Shekinah – His special presence dwelling among them as they enjoy Him.

In Ex.34:6-7, God proclaims His steadfast love and faithfulness, His utter reliability, which provide the background to this Psalm.

Apply  The history of revivals is worth studying, from the first revival in the fledgling church in Acts 2-4, its amazing newness, community, sharing, generosity, worship – and then the snake shows up...

This seems to be a pattern in revivals through the millennia: repentance, excitement, heightened awareness of God’s goodness and mercy, new music, deepened relationships, glorious worship, caring and love and generosity, then – oh, oh. Something interrupts that flow of grace, pride or power hunger enters, forgetting happens, early euphoria vanishes, other than God takes precedence though vestiges remain as history. We have a constant need for repentance and renewed dependence by God’s Spirit, and we repent again. And again.

Psalm 85 speaks to us as we anticipate the Spirit’s breaking out amongst us in revival. The Psalm recounts God’s work among His people, the constant need to repent individually and communally.

So, we pray for revival. First, are we willing to look at ourselves as God reveals what needs repair, to repent from what displeases our God of love – and justice? This requires utter honesty and humility before God in our church family before He gives what we ask for. We cry to God to reveal Himself – then we wait, listening carefully to His word (7-9).
 
His faithfulness to forgive encourages us to ask again: Will you revive us, God? Give us the willingness, because it will change us, remove our reticence and stiffness, our apathy and indifference and reliance on old deadening customary ways and viewpoints. We may resist change at first, but He is irresistible; the Lord will give us what is good (12a). Strengthened and freed by His real love and goodness, we joyfully make Him known to others – a sign of real revival. And revival = transformation!

Ask  Will you revive me so I may rejoice in You, O Lord, and see You afresh? Will You give me the grace to offer myself to You and others until, transformed, I am part of Your glorious Real Church Transformed?

Pray  Lord, You created me to ‘enjoy You forever’, but I can’t see beyond present tense. Your salvation unites but I’m hardly giving myself to community. Lord, heal me of my fear of opening up to others and to You. Then revive and renew my life.  Adapted from Tim and Kathy Keller, The Songs of Jesus.

Sing Psalm 85  Restore us, O God of our Salvation - Esther Mui
                                Bring Us Back - GraceChild 2012
                                Mercy and Truth - Jason Coghill

Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Picture

    Preachers Blog

    In 2025, each week's blog is a follow-up reflection written by the preceding Sunday’s preacher to dig deeper into the sermon topic and explore engaging discussion questions.

    ​All past blogs remain available if you wish to catch up with any days missed.

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Who is Jesus?
At St Aidan's, it's our desire to know our Real God,
to grow as a Real Church and
​ to live Real Lives for Him.

Picture
St Aidan’s Anglican Church
274 Campbell Street | Winnipeg, MB R3N 1B5
Phone: 204.489.3390 Email: [email protected]
  • Home
  • Worship Online
  • The Preachers Blog
  • Bible in a Year
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Prayer Requests
  • Request Pastoral Care
  • Youth
  • Give
  • Statement of Faith
  • Video Archive
    • 2025 Videos
    • 2024 Videos
    • Real Lives
    • 2023 Videos
    • 2022 Videos
    • 2021 Videos
    • 2020 Videos
  • Sermon Audio Archive
    • 2020 Sermons
    • 2019 Sermons
    • 2019 Sermon Series >
      • Gospel Centered Eternities November 2019
      • The Real Joy of Easter - Holy Week 2019
    • 2018 Sermons
    • 2018 Sermon Series >
      • Gospel Centred Church Spring 2018
      • A Gospel Shaped Church Fall 2018
    • 2017 Sermon Series >
      • The Servant King Christmas 2016
      • The Saviour King Lent 2017
      • The Victorious King Holy Week 2017
      • The Living King Easter 2017
      • The Brother King Fall 2017
      • Worship the King Advent 2017
    • 2016 Sermon Series >
      • Real Obedience Lent 2016
      • Unity of the Church
      • The Servant King Christmas 2016
    • 2015 Sermon Series >
      • Real Gifts 2015
      • Real Mission 2015
      • Mission Discerned
    • 2014 Sermon Series >
      • Real Church 2014
      • Real Lives 2014
    • 2013 Sermon Series >
      • Real God 2013
    • Sermon Archive From 2014 - 2017
  • Christianity 101