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Gustave Doré’s engraving of David standing crowned and bowed as he mourns Absalom

Psalm 85

What St Athanasius said to pray when a time under God’s anger has passed, in a letter from the 300s.

  • 13Verses
  • 1Situation

St Athanasius, Letter to Marcellinus

When to pray it

In the 300s, St Athanasius of Alexandria wrote a letter to his friend Marcellinus about praying the Psalms. In it he matched psalms to what people go through. This is what he gave this one for.

A time when God's anger was on you has passed, you're free again, and you want to give thanks.

When God's anger has passed at last and your captivity is over, and you want to give thanks, you have Psalms 85 and 126.

Letter to Marcellinus

For the same situation he also named Psalm 126.

Psalm 85:8

Where it turns

I will listen to what God the LORD will say; for He will surely speak peace to His people and His saints; He will not let them return to folly.

13 verses, Berean Standard Bible

The whole psalm

Psalm 85

Its own heading For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

  1. 1You showed favor to Your land, O LORD; You restored Jacob from captivity.
  2. 2You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin. Selah
  3. 3You withheld all Your fury; You turned from Your burning anger.
  4. 4Restore us, O God of our salvation, and put away Your displeasure toward us.
  5. 5Will You be angry with us forever? Will You draw out Your anger to all generations?
  6. 6Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?
  7. 7Show us Your loving devotion, O LORD, and grant us Your salvation.
  8. 8I will listen to what God the LORD will say; for He will surely speak peace to His people and His saints; He will not let them return to folly.
  9. 9Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land.
  10. 10Loving devotion and faithfulness have joined together; righteousness and peace have kissed.
  11. 11Faithfulness sprouts from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.
  12. 12The LORD will indeed provide what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
  13. 13Righteousness will go before Him to prepare the way for His steps.

Psalm 85 is 84 in the Greek numbering Athanasius used, which Orthodox Bibles and some older Catholic ones still follow.

After God has brought you through

Close to this

All 53 situations, in one guide.

Your turn

Which Psalm are you living right now?

A few honest taps about your life right now, and the psalm an early Church Father gave for exactly that.

  • 3 min
  • 7 questions
Start

Suggest a correction. Corrections that are applied are recorded in the public changelog.

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Athanasius’s advice is paraphrased from his Greek.