Day #296 - Restore Us

The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder

“Return to us, God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine, the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself. Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish. Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself. Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name. Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭80‬:‭14‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash

Do you have a personal bubble?

What I mean by that is, do you get uncomfortable when people get really close when they talk to you or try to hug you? What makes it okay for someone to get close? Of course, it’s the people you love the most and are the closest too. When someone you love and respect leans in to bless you and build you up with a message they are pleased with you, it leaves you encouraged.

God draws near to us in His pleasure and His face shining upon us has the power to restore us. “The Presence” brings revival. God’s nearness has the power to restore and revive. Revival is His nearness or the cause of revival is His nearness according to Psalm 80. This Psalm repeats this phrase, “Restore us… make Your face shine on us.”

This is a prayer and a cry for the corporate presence, it’s a promise for “us.” He comes on “us” in a way that He doesn’t come on “me.” Revival comes in this Psalm when we are watched over by the Lord and when His hand comes upon the Son of Man at His right hand. Revival is available to us because of Jesus, the Son of Man. He won’t turn away our cries because of His Son. Both His face being near is a sign of His favor and the Son at His right hand is a sign of His favor.

When God comes near us corporately we have revival. As we come together in our churches let us lift up the Son of Man with cries for Him to revive us. When He comes near and is manifest among us, His face shines and we are changed. Anything is possible when His face is near.

O God, let Your face shine upon us and we will be restored! Let Your church lift up the name of Jesus the Son of Man. Let us experience the favor of Your face and the favor of Your right hand. Revive us and stay near us. In Jesus name, amen.