Restore us, Lord God of Armies: make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved. Psalm 80:19 (CSB)
“that we may be saved”
Susannah sat with her friend, watching the scene below. It reminded her of the darkest night of her life over 30 years ago. A peaceful night with her family was shattered by an intruder. With cold, lifeless eyes the soldier plunged a sword into her sleeping baby boy, as if attacking a brutal enemy instead of an 18-month-old child.
Her best friend, seated beside her, knew her thoughts. Thirty years could not erase the grief etched in her face.
And the two women sat, now watching another mother, stooped with sorrow. Her own son was taken being from a cross. The weight of the horror was too much for her frail frame, and she was supported by a few friends.
In the years that followed her son’s death, Susannah saw her strong young husband slowly weaken. Devastated by his failure to protect their son from a cruel king’s order, which claimed their child’s life, she lost not just her son but, in another way, her husband too. In five years, he was gone, leaving her to raise two children by herself.
Although Susannah’s family was caught up in the terrible tragedy of Jeremiah’s (Jeremiah 31:15) prophecy, this awful path would lead straight to her Savior.
Matthew 2:16-18
Susannah met Jesus three years before this tragic day. He found her when thousands of people sought His attention on a hillside. Matthew 14:13-21 All of them had heard of the Messiah who had come to set up His kingdom. Would the cruel government finally face punishment and be defeated, allowing God’s chosen people to rule?
That was not to be. As Susannah’s faith grew, she realized that Jesus came to be the suffering, Savior. The man acquainted with grief. And somehow, she came to love this Messiah more than a victorious military conqueror. His mission was meant to save people from their sin. She knew He would keep His promise.
But he was pierced for our transgressions.
He was crushed for our iniquities.
The punishment that brought our peace was on him;
and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5 (WEB)
As she sat and listened to His parables, she felt drawn toward a grace that was for her. Susannah realized that she needed this kind of Savior. Not one who would make her rich or restore all that she had lost. When Jesus came, He revived her wounded heart.
And now she watched Jesus taken down from the cross. That cross was meant for her, for the Roman soldier who killed her baby, and for His own mother, Mary. A cross meant for the whole world.
But none of them could carry that cross. Only the innocent Savior could. He never wavered or turned away from the Father’s plan.
Susannah’s friend grasped her hand tightly, offering comfort. The women knew this was not the end; it couldn’t be. They weren’t sure what came next, but they still had faith.
This vile world, which willingly turned away from the Redeemer, had been given a way to new life. If only they believed it, too.
The story of Susannah is a fictitious about the true story of the Massacre of the Innocents. Yet, we sometimes need to remember that the darkness of this world has not diminished. Is the darkness deepening? Possibly. But sin has always been brutal. The offense of sin to God is equally putrid.
None of our sin changed the resolve of God’s love toward mankind. Even at the expense of His Son.
That darkness didn’t stop God’s plan then, and it won’t defeat Him now. His promises are eternal, His love is everlasting, His justice is kind, and His punishment for sin is certain.
The Psalmist, Asaph, understood. He was inspired to offer a prayer for all believers long ago. Although he never met the Messiah, he believed in God’s Promise spoken through the prophets.
Restore us, Lord, God of Armies: make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.
The price for our sins and ignoring God’s moral law was the cross, and it wasn’t paid for by us.
Our sinful actions are forgiven, but we still disdain God’s holiness.
“against You, and You only I have sinned.” Psalm 51:4 (WEB)
We should let this thought sink in and change us.
The scars and devastation caused by human beings cannot be erased from God’s Word. It stands as an example of what happens when people turn their back on God. And none of it is God’s fault.
The Bible is also full of redemption stories from the Old Testament to the New. God’s moral law is changeless and true.
Our key verse should become our prayer.
“Restore us, Lord, God…make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.“
Because believers live to bring honor and glory to God, we need to prepare every day to make godly living our choice.
“Lord, let the Light from Your Face shine upon us so that we may be saved.”
Share the Good News in your world!
Isaiah 52:7
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
World English Bible (WEB)
by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.
