The turn toward Advent is a difficult turn to make. We issue this ancient call to contemplation at the same time we receive calls for year-end reports, charity solicitations, academic finals, and holiday parties. We are called to pause at the same time we may want to numb ourselves with activity, evading the grief of a holiday season post-divorce, job loss, illness, or death.

Today’s psalm bids us pause and consider what, precisely, we are waiting for. Or really, whom we are waiting for. This psalm is an invitation to envision what restoration may look like. As we focus on the coming birth of Christ, the light of the world, we are asked today to imagine what that light may reveal and how those revelations may be restored.

Take a moment today to rewrite this psalm in your own words. Name God in the way that feels appropriate to your place. In verse 1, the psalmist names God “Shepherd” and asks God to stir up might to save them. What aspect of God are you most close to right now? Guardian? Mother? Comforter? Mystery? Author? Dreamer? What action do you most need God to take?

Once you have written your response, speak aloud the psalmist’s refrain: Restore us, O God, let your face shine, that we may be saved.

This plea, this asking for God’s face to shine is a plea for God to be recognized in our midst, a heartfelt cry for God to show up in the ways we most need. Consider your needs and where you are looking for God’s face.