When you live a life of obedience and stay in The Word, our soul is constantly reminded how dependent we are on the Lord.
In Psalm 80, Israel’s disobedience has brought ruin to the temple and destruction to God’s people. Asaph is crying out for restoration from God for their sins…The Babylonians has left them in despair and all he knew to do was to cry out to God. Asaph knew that when he cried out to God in repentance, things would change…there is power in reaching your hand out to the Lord during hard times. We can’t make it on our own…it’s just not possible.
I know sometimes it can feel like you are like Israel…constantly calling out to God to deliver you from your circumstances and problems. More often than not, it’s because self gets in the way and our ways become better than God’s way (in our own minds). God’s way is always best. In verse 14-15, Asaph asks God to “take care of this vine”, meaning to prune it, tend it, tame it and help it to flourish. (Israel is often referred to as a vine God planted) Oh how easy it is for a vine (Israel, you, me) to go in whatever way it chooses…but then he says, “Let your hand be with the man at Your right hand” (verse 17)! We know who that is! Remember the parable of the Vineyard…Jesus is the Vineyard Keeper and the True Vine! We can’t grow into what God would have us to be if we aren’t connected to The Vine! Asaph recognizes where his strength comes from.
I love this quote from Spurgeon:
“Oh, my heart, never did the tender vine so much need the gardener’s care as you need to be kept by your Lord! You are like an infant, suffering from a thousand diseases, but unable to cure himself of any one of them; you are helplessly weak, and if your Father, God, should leave you, there is nothing for you but to die in despair. Dear brothers and sisters, let us have a deep consciousness of the dangers to which we are exposed, not that we may live trembling lives, but that we may be weaned from all trust in self, and may be driven nearer to God, and always seek to live under his divine protection.”
The vine that was Israel was disobedient and unruly…unfaithful. Jesus is always faithful. He is the True Vine that never changes and was obedient to The Father even until death. Let us cling to Him. Let us remind ourselves today that without Jesus, the vine of our life is uprooted (verse 8), looted for its fruit (verse 12-13) and unruly (verse 11)… but with Jesus, our lives are yielding fruits of righteousness! ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus!
