Faith Daily Lectio Thursday, October 22, 2026 Evening Psalm
Thursday, October 22, 2026 · Thursday in the week of the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24)
Evening Psalm
Oratio (prayer)
O Shepherd of Israel, give ear. As this evening comes, send Your Holy Spirit as I pray Psalm 80, that I may turn to You and see Your face shine on me in Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Psalm 80
To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim-eduth, A Psalm of Asaph.
1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
2Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
3Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
4O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
5Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
6Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
8Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
9Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
10The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
11She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
12Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
13The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
14Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
15And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
16It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
17Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
18So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
19Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” (Psalm 80:3)
What other lines speak to you?
The Law "O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?" (v. 4). Israel was the vine God planted, yet it was "burned with fire" and "cut down" (v. 16). God's people had turned from Him. We are no different. We have not borne the fruit He looked for.
The Gospel Three times the Psalm prays, "cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved" (v. 3). God answered in Jesus, "the man of thy right hand" (v. 17), the Son of man whom He made strong. Jesus is the true Vine, and you are His branch. In Him the face of God shines on you, and you are saved.
Prayer Lord God of hosts, I confess that I have not borne the fruit You looked for. Forgive me for Jesus' sake. Turn me again to You, and cause Your face to shine on me tonight. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
Some evenings taste like "the bread of tears" (v. 5), when God seems far away and others laugh at our trouble. The Psalm keeps praying anyway: "quicken us, and we will call upon thy name" (v. 18). Under trial it may help to pray the Psalm's refrain before sleep, and to trust that the Shepherd still hears.
Evening prayer O Shepherd, when this night brings tears, turn me again to You. Quicken me, let Your face shine on me, and keep me safe. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
