“Steadfast love and faithfulness meet. Righteousness and peace kiss each other.”
– Psalm 85:10
Oh Psalm 85:10, what a beautiful verse. Now, I mentioned on yesterday’s Pray the Word episode that during this time of this coronavirus and just global pandemic that I wanted to lead us to pray specifically for each other and to let God’s word instruct us on how to pray for each other.
“Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.”
And so I pointed people to and just want to point people again today to radical.net/prayerrequest. If there are just specific ways that you would like me, us, to pray the word, audience to pray for you specifically, someone in your family, knowing that likely what you’re going through during this time is probably shared by many others. There may be some unique things, but a lot of people struggling with similar things and I would just have an opportunity to pick one of those things each day and lead us to pray according to God’s word for them.
Today’s Prayer Is For Justin’s Family
Today I want to pray for Justin’s family. Justin is a friend of mine who actually encouraged me to do this through Pray the Word, actually was part of encouraging me to start Pray the Word, and then a recently said, “Hey, why don’t you pray specifically for different people going through this”? And I just thought it was an excellent idea, but Justin was sharing that his 69 year old dad lost his job on Saturday and he and his brothers are trying to help him navigate that situation while needing to remain physically distant because he has a history of heart issues and could be very vulnerable to this virus.
Justin’s parents are Dave and Sandy and so I want to lead us to pray specifically for Dave and Sandy, Justin and his brothers, and for others who are in a similar situation based on Psalm 85:10, “Steadfast love and faithfulness meet.” I love this Psalm. There’s so many great verses in the Psalm. They’re just crying out to God to help us specifically. It’s just a community cry for God to revive his people, to restore his people.
Psalm 85:10 Shows Us God’s Love Is Always Steadfast
There is so much that’s applicable here, but why I chose Psalm 85:10 to pray according to is this picture of God’s character. “In God and all of his perfections, steadfast love and faithfulness meet”. Just think about those words, steadfast love. Not just love but steadfast love. Love you can always count on in a way that a job can’t be counted on, in a way that even health can’t be counted on, but God’s love is always steadfast.
Psalm 85:10 Reminds Us That He Is Always Faithful
Faithfulness. He is always faithful when so much is failing around us God never fails those who trust in him. Steadfast love and faithfulness meet in God. Righteousness, his character, his goodness, his justice, his reliability to all of his promises. Righteousness and peace. This picture of just calm in the middle of the storm. Righteousness and peace. They kiss each other. What a picture of God’s affection for his people and how beautifully his righteousness and peace go together.
I love even what verse eight says before this, “Let me hear what the Lord will speak. For He will speak peace to His people, to His saints.” God speaks peace to His people. To his saints. God, I just pray all of this specifically right now over Dave, over Sandy, over Justin and his brothers, for their family. God, I pray they would know your steadfast love and your faithfulness in these days. That you would draw him into a deeper knowledge and trust in your steadfast love and faith. That they would see your righteousness and peace and affectionate harmony on their behalf. God, that you would speak peace to Dave. That you speak peace to Sandy.
This Verse Prays That God Speaks To Us All Today
Just in their hearts. Even right now, if they’re listening to this and speak peace into Justin and his brothers as they want to care for their parents and not knowing how best to do that in these days. God, I just pray for your steadfast love, faithfulness, righteousness and peace to overwhelm them. Wrap them in it. And God, not just for them, for others right now who have lost jobs, others right now who are comforting, trying to figure out how best to encourage support, serve, care for those in families or friends, neighbors who’ve lost jobs amidst all of the economic challenges that we find ourselves in.
God, I pray. I pray that you would speak peace to all your people right now. Speak peace to your saints, to those who trust in you. May they look up to you even right now and see in a fresh way steadfast love and faithfulness meeting on their behalf, your steadfast love for them, your faithfulness for them. Righteousness and peace, kissing each other with affection. May they see your righteousness and your peace working for them, filling them. God, I pray Psalm 85:10 over Dave, Sandy, Justin and his brothers, and over so many people right now. We praise you. The God of steadfast love and faithfulness, of righteousness and peace. In Jesus’ name we pray who makes all this possible. Jesus, we praise you. In your name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
