Psalm 80:7-14 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 80:7-14 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Verse 8You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
Verse 9You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.
Verse 10The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches;
Verse 11it sent out its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the River.
Verse 12Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
Verse 13The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.
Verse 14Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,
Devotion
A vine was planted, one that was healthy and voluminous, giving shade in the hot sun and shelter under its branches, with shoots that were far-reaching and all encompassing. And yet this vine, planted by God, now is ravaged by the inhabitants of creation and seemingly uncared for. We can look around our own vineyards, from around the expansive earth to inside our own hearts, and join as the psalmist gives voice to the cries of the people - help us, restore us, save us, O God!
Prayer
Lord, let my heart be good soil, open to the seed of your Word. Lord, let my heart be good soil, where love can grow and peace is understood (With One Voice 713).