Psalm 85
As you read through Psalm 85, it shows two sides of God. First, God’s anger against sin then secondly, God’s salvation that restores sinners and fills them with righteousness. This psalm follows up after God’s people had been disciplined from what I can tell in earlier psalms, the people of Israel. God’s anger had been directed to his people but now things seemed to be cooling off, and everyone was repenting and asking God for forgiveness.
The psalmist voices how things are getting hard again. They are praying for God to not turn his back on them and instead show them mercy and help them once more. Basically saying, the people that love and honor you are here for you to rescue them again.
Verses 10 thru 13 paraphrased: “Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky. The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before Him and make His footsteps a way.”
I have heard a prime example of when righteousness and peace kiss each other is when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. When Jesus died for our sins, we are able to be declared righteous and that brings us into a relationship of peace with God. Here, we see the reunion with righteousness and peace. The righteousness bestowed on us and the peace that comes with that need never be separated or estranged again if our trust remains in Jesus.
Psalm 85 is a perfect prayer for anyone hoping for renewal, whether in their family, community, business, or nation. It is about remembering God’s past faithfulness, owning our need for change, and asking Him to revive hope and blessing in our lives again.