Restore Us, O God Psalm 80 for Three Voices and Congregation

Many of us can resonate with Psalm 80’s plea to God to “hear us,” “restore us,” and “save us” intermingled with the gut-wrenching question “how long?”. It doesn’t take much pastoral imagination to think of ways in which members of our community relate to this psalm and what occasions have brought the lament “how long?” onto their lips. For that reason it is an important psalm to turn to again and again and worth exploring in its entirety. 

Psalm 80 is directed to God as a plea for salvation. The refrain used throughout grows in intensity from being addressed to “God” then “God Almighty” and concludes with “Lord God Almighty” as if trying to remind God of who God is. The image of a vine is used throughout as a metaphor for God’s people, whose root is “the son.” There is also reference to the “Son of Man” who sits at God’s right hand. As Christians, we understand that Christ is the ascended Son at God’s right hand, and we hear echoes of Isaiah 11 that speak of Christ as the root of Jesse as well as John 15 where Jesus is referred to as “the vine” into which we are grafted. As the psalm concludes, it becomes clear that it is only through Christ that we have hope for our salvation. 

The following litany, lightly adapted from the New International Version,  is written for three voices corresponding with the red, blue, and brown text. The orange text should be read by all the readers, while the bold text is for the congregation. Suggestions for the spirit in which to read the text are offered in green while words that should receive particular emphasis are italicized. 

[Mildly demanding with emphasis on the underlined commands]

Reader 1: Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,   
   you who lead Joseph like a flock.
Reader 2: You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
    shine forth.
Reader 3: Before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh
awaken your might;
    All Readers: come and save us.

Restore us, O God;
    make your face shine on us,
    that we may be saved.

Choral Anthem: Psalm 80
Restore Us, O God / Restáuranos, Oh Dios
Music: Carlos Colón
Text Source: Based on Ps. 80; Burt Burleson, text adapt. Martin Tel; Span. tr. Carlos Colón
Vocal Forces: Two-part equal, Two-part mixed, Assembly
Accompaniment: Piano
Separate Instruments: C Instrument, B-flat Instrument
Difficulty Level: E/M
Language: English; Spanish
Publisher: GIA Publications, © 2010, 2022

[Pleading]

Reader 1: How long, LORD God Almighty,
        how long
    will your anger smolder
    against the prayers of your people?

        All Readers: How long? 

[With a sense of painful surprise]

Reader 3: You fed your people with the bread of tears;
    Reader 2: you made them drink tears by the bowlful.

Reader 3: You made all of us an object of derision to our neighbors,
    Reader 2: —our enemies mock us.

Restore us, God Almighty;
    make your face shine on us,
    that we may be saved.

[Awe-filled, a sense of gentleness and care when speaking of the vine. Use hand gestures as appropriate to suggest the gentle planting and its spread.]

Reader 2: You transplanted a vine from Egypt;
    you drove out the nations and planted it.

Reader 3: You cleared the ground for it,
    and it took root and filled the whole land.

Reader 2: It spread so much that the mountains were covered with its shade,
Reader 3: It grew so large that the mighty cedars were covered by its branches.

Reader 2: Can you believe that its branches reached as far as the Sea,
        and its shoots went all the way to the River.

[Confusion even horror when speaking of its destruction.]

Reader 1: So why have you broken down the walls that protected it?
    Everyone who walks by picks its grapes! 
Boars from the forest ravage it,
    and insects from the fields feed on it.

Return to us, God Almighty!
    Look down from heaven and see!

[Begins with a sense of pleading growing in intensity]

Reader 3: Watch over this vine,
    the root your right hand has planted,
   Reader 2: the son you have raised up for yourself.
Reader 3: Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
   Reader 2: at your rebuke your people perish!

[Pause for a few seconds of silence then move on with strength and assurance.]

Reader 2: Let your hand rest on the one at your right hand,
    the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

Reader 1: Then we will not turn away from you;
    Reader 3: revive us, 
        All Readers: and we will call on your name.

Restore us, LORD God Almighty;
    make your face shine on us,
    that we may be saved.

—Joyce Borger © 2025 Reformed Worship, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Used by permission. 

Ideas for Using Psalm 80 in Worship

• Use the above litany in place of the reading of the psalm itself, including when it appears in the Revised Common Lectionary (Year A: Advent 4, Proper 22; Year B: Advent 1; Year C: Advent 4, Proper 15) or other lectionaries.
• Service of Lament
• Opening of prayer on Ash Wednesday
• Longest Night/Blue Christmas services
• Prayer of Confession
• Prayers of the People

Adapting for Prayers of the People

Given that this litany is adapted from scripture, verse references were not included but a quick read through of the psalm should help you locate the places in the text referenced below. 

• Following vs. 2: prayers for the world, governments, leadership
• Following vs. 6: prayers of petition I (general or global)
• Following vs. 11: prayers of praise, evidence of God’s faithfulness
• Following vs. 13: prayers of petition II (immediate, or specific to the community)
• Following vs 18: prayers of hope and assurance

End each prayer segment with a repeated line such as, “In confidence that you hear our prayer we plead…” and use that repeated line to cue the congregation to respond with their refrain, “Restore us/Return to us…”.  
 

Choral Anthem on Psalm 80

Restore Us, O God / Restáuranos, Oh Dios
Music: Carlos Colón
Text Source: Based on Ps. 80; Burt Burleson, text adapt. Martin Tel; Span. tr. Carlos Colón
Vocal Forces: Two-part equal, Two-part mixed, Assembly
Accompaniment: Piano
Separate Instruments: C Instrument, B-flat Instrument
Difficulty Level: E/M
Language: English; Spanish
Publisher: GIA Publications, © 2010, 2022