Gospel Reflections #1067: What Image of God do we have?

Psalm 80:3 ‘Restore us, O God, and let the light of your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.’

These are the words of a prayer in which God’s people, facing national crisis and tribulation, earnestly seek spiritual ‘restoration’ and ‘salvation’ from God.

Psalm 80 is believed to have been composed during the period when the Northern Kingdom of ancient Israel was destroyed (or on the brink of destruction) by the Assyrian Empire.

The towns lay in ruins due to the enemy’s invasion; the people wept, and were mocked by the surrounding nations.

This prayer is cried out from the depths of utter despair, a situation beyond the reach of human power.

The phrase ‘bring us back’ does not simply mean a physical ‘return to our homeland’ from the land of captivity.

It contains a heartfelt plea for inner restoration: a plea for God to bring us back to Him once more (to lead us to repentance), having strayed from our right relationship with Him.

‘Let the light of Your face shine upon us’ means that,

whilst God always turns His face towards us without fail, there are times when, due to our own condition, we have strayed from His presence.

Yet we have come to believe that this is God’s doing.

Our God is one who, no matter how much we turn our backs on Him, faithfully responds when we call upon Him for help.

Even as we pour out our thoughts to God, He still enfolds us in His love.

‘Save us’ means that, as we are unable to change the circumstances before us or save ourselves, God is indispensable.

This scripture teaches us that ‘when faced with trials we cannot overcome by our own strength, or when we find ourselves spiritually lost, turning first to God and seeking His grace is the very first step towards true restoration’.

The God we understand with our minds is, in a sense, often the God we have imagined, and not the true image of God.

Our God is one who loves us from beginning to end, unaffected by our thoughts or actions.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.