July 5, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the next 15 days we will be reading through the Psalms of Ascent together as a church! The Psalms of Ascent are a collection of 15 psalms (Psalms 120-134) that pilgrims would sing on their way up to Jerusalem to worship. These songs are meant to instruct and prepare the hearts of the traveler to worship the Lord! As sojourners and aliens in this world, we too need to have our hearts prepared for and instructed in the worship of our God. Let\u2019s meditate on these psalms and allow the Spirit of the Lord to move us to true worship as we seek Him together!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this psalm the pilgrims recall a past time when the Lord showed His mercy on His people, restoring their fortunes, and plead with Him to do a similar work in their own day! They speak of how they could hardly believe the way that the Lord had come through for them (v.2), and how this act of mercy and restoration even acted as a witness to the surrounding pagan nations (v.3)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The psalmist then asks the Lord to restore their fortunes once again as He had done in the past. He asks for the Lord to bless the year\u2019s harvest so that weeping will turn into shouts of joy (v.5)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The church has seen the Lord move in powerful ways to bring revival, renewal, and restoration throughout its history. We have every reason to cry out to the Lord to do it again and, in so doing, to ask in confidence and faith that He will respond! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
God has been faithful and merciful in the past, and because of that we have every reason to trust that He will do so in the present and in the future! Let\u2019s seek for revival and renewal to visit our hearts, our families, our communities, and our churches with this kind of faith!<\/p>\n\n\n\n