Psalm Photos - 85 - Emerging
Psalm 85
Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. Selah
You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.
Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
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“Faithfulness will spring up from the ground and righteousness look down from the sky…”
Its been a long winter here (not as long as where we used to live in SD, but for OH, its been a long winter). Spring, though, seems to finally be here. Grass is greening up, flowers are blooming, buds are appearing on trees, birds are making nests (and The Masters is this weekend). The writer of this Psalm sounds like he feels like he’s in the midst of winter - maybe not in the depths of the coldest days, but its still winter. But there’s emergent hope. There is hope for life and light to start to appear. We have all felt that in our lives - times where we are in a spiritual, emotional, or physical winter and we are waiting as well for the seasons to finally change in our lives. Waiting to see life emerge from death or light to emerge from darkness. I love this picture I took this morning of a daffodil bloom just starting to open. Its not quite there yet, but you can see within the life and beauty waiting to emerge. There’s some kingdom of God stuff here - the already but not quite yet. Its coming. Spring. Life. Light.