Here’s a helpful adage: “Don’t forget in the darkness what you have learned in the light.” —Joe Bayley
Although the title of Psalm 85 doesn’t disclose its historical setting, the first sentence does. “Lord, You have been favorable to Your land; You have brought back the captivity of Jacob” (v 1). Jacob is the code name for Israel when away from the Lord. Through a verse in the book of Jeremiah ( Jer 25:11), triggering a prayer by Daniel (Dan 9:2-3), leading to the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-4), they returned to the Land. Look at the series of “You have” statements, six glorious actions the Lord took in bringing them Home. In addition to the two already quoted, he adds, “You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. You have taken away all Your wrath; You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger” (Ps 85:2-3), with a Selah so we pause and think. So far, so good. But have you ever had a rich spiritual experience or some personal victory and, not long after, you felt deflated? Getting back to the daily humdrum, in retrospect it seems what you received was more like half a blessing. But on what are we depending—feelings or facts? Perhaps the distance the psalmist felt wasn’t God’s anger; it was His appeal to them to embrace the Blesser, not the blessings (vv 4-7). They needed restoring (v 4), but by reviving what they already knew (v 6). The rejoicing was sure to follow. When disheartened, let’s reclaim what we know is true. If we ask the Lord for help instead of blaming Him for our disappointment, He “will speak peace to His people” (v 8). Focus on what we already know is true, and we’ll remember that nothing can separate us from His love. At Calvary, “Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed” (v 10). That “shall make His footsteps our pathway” (v 13).