I've continued to look in and reflect on Psalm 102 and have been really blessed by the Psalm. The Psalmist is in a time of need and is interceding for Zion (v. 13, 16, 21), meaning the prayer is a primarily a prayer of intercession, prayed on behalf the people of Zion, for all the Church, and so it makes for a wonderful prayer for those of us who have been seeking God's face to revive the Church in this day.

I loved this when I looked up the word favor in Strong's Concordance. It is chanan (khaw-nan'). It means to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow; causatively to implore (i.e. move to favor by petition):--beseech, X fair, (be, find, shew) favour(-able), be (deal, give, grant (gracious(-ly), intreat, (be) merciful, have (shew) mercy (on, upon), have pity upon, pray, make supplication, X very. see HEBREW for 02583.

Will you take time to reflect on this great favor our God has shown us, His kindness bestowed on us which led us to repentance? God who sits enthroned above the earth had pity on men and showed mercy to us while we were helpless and powerless sinners. He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die for the ungodly.

Consider how our Lord Himself bent and stooped in kindness to us. Who are we for God to do such a thing? God Himself took on the form of man, the King humbled Himself, left His throne in glory, our holy, almighty God condescended and stooped to show kindness to unworthy, proud and powerless sinners like us! Immanuel - God with us!

This morning I turned to Psalm 44. (The title in my NKJV Bible is "Redemption Remembered in Present Dishonor.")

Israel's deliverance is a picture of our salvation. It is all of God's favor, it is all by God's power. Not only our justification, but our continuing sanctification – both as individuals as well as as the Church corporately. And how we must continue to plead and ask God to pour out His favor and His power on us. We can do nothing apart from Him. We must ask for His favor again, ask Him to pour down His Spirit upon us and continue to walk by the Spirit and never trust in our own power or wisdom or might.

I looked up the word favored from Psalm 44:3, and it's actually a different word than what's used in Psalm 102:13. It's the Hebrew word ratsah (raw-tsaw'), a primitive root; to be pleased with; specifically, to satisfy a debt:--(be) accept(-able), accomplish, set affection, approve, consent with, delight (self), enjoy, (be, have a) favour(-able), like, observe, pardon, (be, have, take) please(-ure), reconcile self.

Consider it! Consider Him! Our beautiful Lord did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but He willingly stooped down and paid the debt we could never pay. He satisfied out sin debt by becoming sin for us, despising the shame, yet looking to the joy set before Him. Christ became our passover Lamb; He gave His life as our ransom. He delighted to do His Father's will.

So now our God is pleased with us, not because of anything we have done or we could ever have done. Christ, the last Adam, was fully obedient because we were not and could never be. His perfect righteousness is credited to us by faith, and so rather than our remaining an unclean thing and having only righteousness like filthy rags, we are favored.  He has bestowed upon us His perfect, pure, spotless righteousness. Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne! We are acceptable in God's sight only because Christ's blood covers us. Sovereign mercy poured out from above! He does not treat us as our sins deserved! O, redeemed and ransomed souls, let us delight in God for He has delighted in us!

Consider it! Consider Him! Our Father has set His affection on us and has approved us and is delighted with us and enjoys us! The pardon is perfect and complete His love remains, His wrath is stayed not because of anything in us, but only through Christ our mediator and our advocate. Our King has done it all. He provided the Lamb who was the satisfaction, the substitutionary sacrifice rendered for us to pay our sin debt! Christ reconciled us in His body of flesh to present us holy and blameless to God.

So then no wonder that the ESV translates this word favored (Psalm 44:3, NKJV) as delighted!

O, what a God we have. He saved us. He condescended to us! He showed favor to us! Even though we had nothing delightful in us whatsoever. Even though there was nothing in us to merit His favor! And yet He chose to favor us! And yet He chose to delight in us!

Sovereign favor! Sovereign delight!

And now today, as we look at the sad and sorry and often undelightful state of the Church today, we know this is our only plea! Let us remember our redemption in our present dishonor and cry out to God to favor us and to delight in us once again. May He honor us again for the sake of His honor.

Psalm 85:6  Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?

Isaiah 12:
1  You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O LORD,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
2  “Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”

O LORD, show us once again the greatness of Your salvation to us through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Show us once again how You turned away Your anger with us by pouring out Your anger on Your Son.
Show us once again how You turned away from Your righteous Son so we might be the righteousness of God in Him.
Show us once again that instead of anger and condemnation, we have received comfort and justification.
Show us once again that we might trust in You and not be afraid.
Show us once again that we might know You as our strength in weakness.
Show us once again that we might know You as our song in mourning.
Show us once again that we might know You as our salvation, our strength and our song.
Show us once again that we might give thanks to You.
Revive us again, that we might give thanks to You and rejoice in You, our salvation, O LORD.

Psalm 85:6  Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?

Isaiah 12:3  With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

O LORD, show us the greatness of Your salvation to us through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Show us once again the joy of our salvation.
Show us once again our thirst apart from You.
Show us once again the wells of salvation.
Show us once again that You are the all-satisfying Living Water.
Show us once again our need to draw water from the wells of salvation.
Show us once again our need to drink there and keep drinking there.
Revive us again, that we might joyfully draw water from You, the wells of salvation, and drink of You, Living Water, and rejoice, O LORD.

Psalm 85:6  Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?

Isaiah 12:4  And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the LORD,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5  “Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.

O LORD, show us once again the greatness of Your salvation to us through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Show us once again our need to thank You.
Show us once again our need to call upon You.
Show us once again how You have sent us among the nations so we might make You known.
Show us once again the lostness of the nations.
Show us once again the thirst of the nations.
Show us once again how You drank the cup of suffering, so the nations might drink of You.
Show us once again how You thirsted on the cross, so the nations might no longer be thirsty, but drink of You.
Show us once again how You are the Lamb who died for the sin of the world.
Show us once again how You are calling lost sheep from all the nations to rejoice in You.
Show us once again how You have done gloriously so we might sing praises to You in all the earth.
Revive us again, that we might sing praises to You and make known Your deeds and proclaim Your name among the nations in all the earth.

Psalm 85:6  Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?

Isaiah 12:6  Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

O LORD, show us once again the greatness of Your salvation to us through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Show us once again how we are inhabitants of Zion.
Show us once again the joy You make available to us an inhabitants of Zion.
Show us once again how we ought to shout and sing for joy because we are inhabitants of Zion.
Show us once again how You are great.
Show us once again how You are great in our midst.
Show us once again the joy we can have because You are great.
Show us once again the joy we can have because You are in our midst
Show us once again how it pleases You when we sing and shout for joy.
Revive us again, that we might shout and sing for joy, for we are Yours and we are inhabitants and Zion, and You are great and in our midst, O Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 85:6  Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?

Isaiah 52
7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."
8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see
the return of the LORD to Zion.
9 Break forth together into singing,
you waste places of Jerusalem,
for the LORD has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The LORD has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.

LORD,

We are watchmen.
We have seen Your return.
We have seen Your Spirit's moving.
We have felt Your holy fire burning.
We have been blessed.
But now our vision has been clouded.
We have become distracted.
We have become stagnant.
We have become lukewarm.
We have not been good stewards of Your blessings.

Forgive us, Lord, for not being zealous for You as we ought.
Forgive us, Lord, for not persevering in prayer to You as we ought.
Forgive us, Lord, for not watching for You as we ought.
Forgive us, Lord, for not speaking for You as we ought.

Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
so our feet might be beautiful and bring good news.

Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
so we might publish peace, good news of happiness and salvation.

Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
so we might say to Your people: "Your God reigns."

Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
so we might lift up our voice together and sing for joy.

Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
so we might break forth into singing.

Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
so we might make known Your holy arm before all the nations.

Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
so we might make visible to all the ends of the earth Your salvation.