Day 28: Oh That!
Read: Psalm 14:4–7
Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
— Psalm 14:7 (ESV)
Reflect
Psalm 14 has been heavy. The fool says there is no God. Everyone has turned aside. There is none who does good. Then, at the end, the psalmist does not offer a neat conclusion. He offers a sigh.
"Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!"
In Hebrew, the phrase behind "Oh, that" is a little idiom: mi yitten, which literally means "Who will give?" It was the ordinary way to say, "If only…" or "I wish…" The idiom should not be pressed for more than that.
Sometimes prayer is just that. Not a carefully reasoned request. Not a list. One idiom of longing. "Oh, that…" If only.
The psalm's first longing is for God to save his people, a longing answered in the Redeemer who comes from Zion. Under that great longing, many of us carry others. A child who has wandered. A marriage that needs healing. A church that needs renewal. A body that needs restoring. A world that needs setting right. We do not always know what to ask for in detail. We only know the ache.
The psalmist shows that the ache itself can be prayed. Longing is a kind of prayer. And he points it in the right direction: salvation comes from Zion, from the place where God dwells. The longing has an address.
Across Scripture
Psalm 53:6 ends with the same sigh. Isaiah promised, "A Redeemer will come to Zion" (Isaiah 59:20), and Paul quotes that promise in Romans 11:26–27. When old Simeon, who had been "waiting for the consolation of Israel," held the baby Jesus in the temple, he said, "My eyes have seen your salvation" (Luke 2:25, 30).
Sit With It
Longing is a kind of prayer. What are you saying "Oh, that…" about right now? Say it to him.
Pray
Oh, that you would give it. Give it.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.