My wife and I have lived with the American military community in S. Korea for the past 2 1/2 years. One of the interesting differences with Korean churches is that most have an early (5am) morning prayer service – every day. My wife and I began joining in with the nearest church some time ago, first only once or twice a week but eventually, most days. It has been a great blessing. Each day we sing a song and look at a passage of scripture, most of the time a chapter. This mornings reading was Psalms 80. I’d like to call attention to three verses.
3. Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
7. Restore us, O God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
19. Restore us, O Lord God of Hosts; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
The prayer is the same in each verse except for greater reminder of who it is that is being called on. He is God, he is omnipotent (all powerful) and he has hosts of extremely powerful beings waiting to take an order concerning us. Scripture tells us he uses both to work in our lives. Paul says in Ephesians 1 that his immeasurably great power is at work toward those who believe. And Hebrews 1:12 says in the affirmative “Are not the angels ministering spirits, sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”
The most interesting part of the prayers is the saving power of just God’s look. Certainly I know the feeling of looking upon either of my children and beaming. I did a bit of that the last couple of days after leaning how well my son is doing at a New Mexico State Law Enforcement Academy. God looks on his children with even more care and love.
But it’s also a reference to God’s glory. His glory is active, emanating from him with the power to save.
He will rescue us. We’ve just got to keep the faith.
remadepreacher 