Psalms 85:4
Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
Psalms 85:4
“Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.” The cry is communal and urgent: restore the people’s relationship with God. “Turn us” captures both a personal and corporate plea for renewal, turning away from sin and toward God. The phrase “God of our salvation” underscores God as the source and enabler of deliverance. The appeal to cease anger echoes earlier verses where God’s righteous judgment was looming; now the appeal is for restoration that leads to peace and worship. The call to change is not merely emotional but transformative, inviting a renewed allegiance to God that realigns priorities and life purposes.
This verse foregrounds repentance as the path to restoration. Salvation here is both present (deliverance from distress) and future (eternal salvation) and is intimately connected to God’s disposition toward mercy. The request to cease anger reflects the larger biblical arc—from exile and punishment to reconciliation and renewed covenant life. It also points forward to the New Covenant where mercy triumphs over judgment through Christ, enabling believers to live in the Spirit’s renewing power.
If you sense God’s anger or distance in your life, bring a humble plea for turnaround. Pray for personal renewal and for peace in communities you care about—families, workplaces, neighborhoods. Take practical steps: apologize where you’ve harmed others, forgive where you’ve been harmed, and pursue reconciliation with colleagues or family members. Engage in acts of mercy—kindness, generosity, service—that reflect the turnaround you seek. Let a renewed sense of God’s salvation shape your daily decisions and ambitions.
Cross-References: Psalm 51:12; Isaiah 59:20–21; Romans 8:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:4–7