Restoration
The psalms of Asaph are different from the psalms of David. Asaph wants to know when God is going to quit being angry and restore Israel's close fellowship with Him.(Psalm 80:19) It is like he is saying that God has punished them enough, and now he wants God to wave a wand to cause instant restoration. However, it isn't happening for them, and he is wondering why.
I think we all fall into this trap. We want God to overlook sins. We want God's face to always shine, even if we have done wrong. We ask Him to cut us some slack and be happy. The problem is that God is holy. He can't be happy with sin. He can't forgive it without something happening. We have to repent of it and confess it. Repent means to change our minds and our actions. Confess means to take it so seriously that we say what He would say about it. Then, God will forgive and bring restoration.
This reminds me of my grandson, Jacob. When he is caught in a sin, sometimes he will see my face and say, "Is Pop-Pop happy?" He will smile real big, wanting me to smile back. I try to tell him that I will be happy when he tells me he is sorry, and he quits doing the wrong things. He knows what I am saying, but he has a hard time staying away from the temptations and sins. His parents and Chris and I are trying to teach him. We really want to be happy, but it is up to him. Well, if we want restoration with God, it is up to us. Believe me, He wants to smile on us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 81-83.
I think we all fall into this trap. We want God to overlook sins. We want God's face to always shine, even if we have done wrong. We ask Him to cut us some slack and be happy. The problem is that God is holy. He can't be happy with sin. He can't forgive it without something happening. We have to repent of it and confess it. Repent means to change our minds and our actions. Confess means to take it so seriously that we say what He would say about it. Then, God will forgive and bring restoration.
This reminds me of my grandson, Jacob. When he is caught in a sin, sometimes he will see my face and say, "Is Pop-Pop happy?" He will smile real big, wanting me to smile back. I try to tell him that I will be happy when he tells me he is sorry, and he quits doing the wrong things. He knows what I am saying, but he has a hard time staying away from the temptations and sins. His parents and Chris and I are trying to teach him. We really want to be happy, but it is up to him. Well, if we want restoration with God, it is up to us. Believe me, He wants to smile on us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 81-83.