Revive Me, O Lord

In my recent Bible study, I’ve been going through the book of Psalms.  As I was reading through Psalm 119, I came across a passage that, in particular, caught my attention.  Three times in verses 153-160 I found the statement “Revive me” (vs. 154, 156 and 159).  This got me wondering what it meant and what should be “revived.”

The most common meanings were to refresh, restore or to make alive.  Various translations of the Bible use “quicken me” (KJV), “revive me” (NKJV, NASB), and “give me life” (RSV, ESV).  And to what should we be “revived,” ”restored,” or “given life”?  As we return to our text, we learn “Revive me according to Your word” (vs. 154), “Revive me according to Your judgments” (vs. 156), and “Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness” (vs. 159).

All of these petitions pointed in the same direction – to reliance upon the Lord and seeking the strength to stand firm under affliction and persecution.  I couldn’t help but think of a song we sometimes sing which speaks of the idea of “reviving” or “restoring.”  In the first verse of Restore My Soul we find “Restore my spirit, Lord, I need restored; My heart is weary, please help me, dear Lord.  I stand in need of more strength from Your Word.  Renew my love, rebuild my faith, O, restore my soul.”

May we, therefore, seek the Lord’s strength to stay true to His teachings, and ever be reminded “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9; also 2 Thessalonians 3:13).