Only God Can Fix This

Psalm 80 is similar to Psalm 79. In Psalm 80 the nation of Israel and the people of God are compared to a vine that used to be healthy and productive that has now been laid waste. The writer of the psalm sees this as God’s judgment and he is asking God to restore the nation and the people. The writer correctly sees that the problem of the nation and the people is a spiritual problem. What is missing from this psalm is an expression of repentance. There is no “we have sinned and we will repent” portion of the psalm. I find that interesting. Most of the psalms that speak like this contain an expression of repentance and an acknowledgment of sin. Perhaps the writer knows that even the desire for repentance must first be given by God? What I do appreciate about this psalm is the clear understanding that only God can fix the problem. There is a clear expression of the need for God to do something. The same is true in my life, your life, and in the “life” of any group of people, from a family to a nation. If you are looking for a job change, a health change or a political change to change your attitude about God you are looking in the wrong direction. Ask God to fix what is wrong and then be open to how He goes about doing that.