I grew up in a traditional Lutheran church. It’s a denomination that sticks to a rigorous order of worship, using creeds and prayers that are known by heart and are recited with almost chant-like cadence. The service is therapeutic in its predictability and tradition. Growing up in that environment gives me a lens of reverence for God, a quiet awe and a tendency to approach Him timidly. My prayers and supplications to Him are most often from the standpoint of “Lord, in Your mercy. Hear our prayer.” With that framework in mind, you can imagine the discomfort I felt in reading Psalm 80:1-7. The passage is so bold and makes such demands of God. How could anyone approach Him as such? Hear us! Awaken Your might! Restore us! And again, Restore us! What a bold way to address God. This isn’t a meek request – this is a confident demand, a strong declaration. And it’s not disrespectful. It is evidence of a faith in God’s abilities. It is knowledge that He is all-powerful.
There is strength and faith in a declaration. There is power in it. There is assurance in it. Restore me! It acknowledges that I need restoration while at the same time it shows my faith that it can be done. How would my relationship change if I prayed so directly? If I declared His abilities? I think the result would be a closer relationship. I think it would move focus from myself and place it on God. I’m challenged to step out of my comfort zone, out of my natural state, and call on God to hear me, restore me, and make His face shine upon me. I know He can and will because of His promise fulfilled in Christ. I will continue to enjoy the traditions of my childhood church, but you might hear me singing a little louder and speaking the Apostle’s Creed with a little more confidence and power.
Nikki Watters