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When God Hits the Reset Button.

Psalms 85 — Where righteousness and peace literally kiss

4 min read

Key Takeaways

Righteousness and peace literally kiss in this psalm — it's the most beautiful picture of full restoration in the entire Psalter, and it's not even close.

The psalmist stops talking and starts listening, and God's response to that honesty is peace — not necessarily an instant fix, but peace.

📢 Chapter 85 — When God Hits the Reset Button 🔄

This is a conversation in three acts. First, the psalmist looks back at what God already did — the way He showed up for His people when they were at their lowest. Then comes the raw, honest prayer: "Do it again." And finally, a vision of what it looks like when God fully restores everything — and it's one of the most beautiful images in all of .

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The sons of wrote this one, and you can feel the tension between gratitude for the past and desperation for the present. They've seen God move before. Now they need Him to move again.

The Comeback God Already Made 🙌

The psalm opens with a straight-up highlight reel. The psalmist is looking back at what God did for — specifically the of people:

"Lord, You showed up for Your land. You brought Your people back from the bottom. You forgave their mess — every single Sin. All of it, covered. You pulled back Your anger. You let go of the heat."

That word "covered" is everything. God didn't just overlook it or pretend it didn't happen. He dealt with it. He absorbed the cost and moved forward. That's not tolerance — that's . 🫶

The "Do It Again" Prayer 🙏

But here's the thing — past blessings don't fix present pain. So the psalmist pivots from remembering to requesting. This is raw, honest :

"Restore us again, God of our Salvation. Let go of whatever You're holding against us. Are You going to be angry forever? Is this going to stretch across every generation? Won't You revive us again — so Your people can actually rejoice in You? Show us Your steadfast love, Lord. Grant us Your salvation."

There's no flexing here, no demanding. Just honesty. "We've seen You do this before. We need You to do it again." That's what real prayer sounds like — not pretending everything's fine, but bringing the weight of where you're at and trusting God can handle it. 💯

The Pause and Listen 🤫

Then the tone shifts. The psalmist stops talking and starts listening. This is lowkey the most important part:

"Let me hear what God will speak — because He will speak Peace to His people, to those who are faithful to Him. But let them not go back to foolishness. His salvation is close to those who fear Him, so that His glory can live in our land."

Two things hit here. First: God's response to honest is . Not always an instant fix, but . Second: there's a real warning — don't receive the restoration and then go right back to the same patterns. Revival without change is just a vibe that fades. 🧠

When Love and Truth Finally Meet 🕊️✨

And then the psalm drops what might be the loveliest image in the entire Psalter:

"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 produce its harvest. Righteousness will go ahead of Him and prepare the path for His steps."

Read that first line again. and aren't at odds anymore. and aren't pulling in different directions. They meet. They embrace. Everything that was fractured comes together.

rising from the earth and righteousness looking down from — it's a picture of and earth reconnecting. God's goodness isn't just a spiritual concept floating out there somewhere. It shows up. It bears fruit. It changes the ground you walk on. And righteousness doesn't follow behind cleaning up messes — it goes ahead, making the way. No cap, this is what full looks like. ✨