Reading this psalm, I wonder how the words resonate with the health of your own church communities. God has liberated the people of Israel from exile (vs 1–3) and yet they were still unsure of God’s favour, struggling to rebuild their place of worship and their livelihoods. How could they be confident of God’s love and faithfulness? 

With increasing secularisation and declining church membership across the UK, we are also a faith community in crisis. The generational decline is particularly disturbing. Current statistics indicate 70 per cent of under-30s identifying as non-religious, with only half of young people from Christian homes retaining their parents’ faith. Despite this our churches remain at the heart of our communities, caring for the poor, providing sanctuary for the homeless and friendship for the lonely.

Like Israel, we cry out in prayer for restoration and revival for God’s church (v 6). We yearn to have communities raising their voices in praise as men and women, young and old, turn back to Jesus. Let’s be encouraged by God’s promises illustrated so beautifully by the psalmist (vs 8–13). Research suggests that intergenerational friendship, listening to the global concerns of the young, wrestling together with faith issues and recognising the prophetic voice of this generation,* will ensure that our churches remain relevant, living out the radically transforming shalom of Jesus.

*www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2020/31-january/features/features/how-faith-survives-the-turbulent-twenties

‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.’¹ Contemplate his blessings!

How much do you like living with tension? Sometimes tension is good – after all, a tug of war can only work if the rope is in tension. Nevertheless, tension is not necessarily comfortable to live with. The writer of this psalm recognises a tension that the Israelites were living within, and it is a tension that has not gone away even though we are people who live this side of the cross. 

The psalmist begins by recognising how God restored his people after a period of distress caused by the Lord’s anger, but brought to an end because of the Lord’s forgiveness (vs 1–3). Nevertheless, the people still need restoration and forgiveness (vs 4–6). There is a tension between the past and the present. The remedy for this tension is found in God’s promises and in the willingness to listen to God (v 8). Only God can resolve the tension. Only he can bring shalom and his faithful covenantal love to his people (vs 10,11). He will do what is necessary to maintain that relationship, so the psalmist can look forward to when God will restore the people and the land (v 12). Do you recognise the tension we live with? We look back to Christ’s death and the forgiveness and restoration we have received from him. The problem is that, like the Israelites in this psalm, we are still people who need forgiveness and restoration. The resolution of that tension is, as the psalmist says, to listen to God and to receive his promises. He is the same covenant-keeping God who has done all that is necessary. The cross is the place where God’s love, faithfulness and righteousness meet so that we can know his shalom. We are continually forgiven and restored!

Thank God for having done all that is necessary to restore your relationship with him and for his love, faithfulness and righteousness, meeting you on a daily basis.  

¹ Eph 1:3