During 2025, Peachtree Church is focusing on the Book of Psalms with a series called Dwell, through which we seek to deepen our conversation with God and open ourselves to hearing his response. The practice of praying three times each day will unite the voices of our hearts and souls as we seek the day when we will see the full realization of the Kingdom of God, promised in Revelation 21:3: “…Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
We will email devotionals twice weekly with Monday’s providing an overview of the Psalm as a whole, and Wednesday’s focused on that week’s Daily Dwell.
You, Lord, showed favor to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people
and covered all their sins.
You set aside all your wrath
and turned from your fierce anger.Restore us again, God our Savior,
and put away your displeasure toward us.
Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your unfailing love, Lord,
and grant us your salvation.I will listen to what God the Lord says;
he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—
but let them not turn to folly.
Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.Love and faithfulness meet together;
Psalm 85
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
The Lord will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.
Devotional
For some reason, my Scout troop got started on the trail later than we had planned. With the early sunset of March, it was hard to make out where we were supposed to be along the trail that was snaking up Blood Mountain. We had a hard time finding our assigned campsite, since there were about ten other groups of Scouts out that afternoon and evening. Then the wind began to pick up and it started to rain, followed by a wintry mix as the temperature dropped. By the time our group located our site and made camp for the night, we had no idea where we were (other than in a slightly level clearing on the side of the trail).
While not all of us have experienced losing our way on the side of a mountain, nearly all of us have had a moment in our lives when we simply lost track of where we were supposed to be, or how we were supposed to get there. It isn’t always a physical sense of losing our way; there have been moments in my life when I’ve lost my way spiritually (many more of them than I have ever wished). Thankfully, in the Psalms we can find guides, maps that can help us through the places where we feel lost (or even just slightly off track from where we should be). I have often found in our passage for this week a guide that is helpful when we need a reminder or guide for “how” to pray.
Psalm 85 can easily be divided into three sections: verses 1-3, 4-7, and 8-13. These three sections can easily guide us in our prayers through a time of adoration, of confession, and of supplication respectively. As with any “guide,” we should make it our own; we should use it as a manner in which to help ourselves when we most need the help rather than allowing it to be the only way that we do things.
For Reflection
- When has been a time in your life when you have felt lost? What happened?
- Where do you go when you need a guide back?
Prayer
Lord God, you call out to us in the moments when we have forgotten how to talk with you. You speak to us in the seasons of our lives when we feel lost and lonely. Help us to listen; help us to hear; and most of all, help us to turn to you, and to rely on your voice that never fails. In Jesus’ name we pray; amen.
Published under
Devotionals