Single lesson
Psalm 85: You Showed Favor to Your Land
Psalms 85:1–13
Psalm 85 is a prayer-poem that remembers God’s past kindness, asks for help in the present, and then waits to hear God’s peace. Children can learn to spot both the movement of the psalm and the change in its speaking voice.
Before you teach
In Psalms 85:1–13, the speaker addresses Yahweh about the land, the people, sin, anger, salvation, peace, and righteousness. The psalm begins by remembering that God had shown favour, forgiven, and turned away wrath. It then asks God to turn the people, revive them, and show loving kindness, before ending with hopeful images about peace, truth, righteousness, and the land.
Students will identify who is speaking in Psalm 85, where the voice shifts, and how the psalm moves from remembered mercy to prayer and hopeful expectation.
Welcome: Listen for the voice and the movement
5 minTell children they are about to hear a prayer-poem with three parts. Ask them to listen for what is remembered, what is asked for, and what hope appears at the end. Also tell them to listen for who is speaking, because most of the psalm says “us” and “our”, but later one line says, “I will hear”.
Psalms 85:1, Psalms 85:4, Psalms 85:8, Psalms 85:9, Psalms 85:12
Read and explain: God’s past favour to the people
7 minRead Psalms 85:1–3 slowly. Point out the repeated words “you have”. The speaker looks back at what God had already done for the land and the people: shown favour, restored fortunes, forgiven iniquity, covered sin, taken away wrath, and turned from fierce anger. This opening part sounds like remembered mercy and praise.
Psalms 85:1, Psalms 85:2, Psalms 85:3
Discuss: A group prayer asks God to turn them
6 minRead Psalms 85:4–7. Help children hear the change from “you have” to direct requests: “Turn us”, “cause your indignation toward us to cease”, “Won’t you revive us again”, and “Grant us your salvation”. The speaker is praying as a group, using “us” and “our”, and asking God to turn the people, stop indignation, revive them, and show loving kindness.
Psalms 85:4, Psalms 85:5, Psalms 85:6, Psalms 85:7
Make and respond: Notice the voice change and the images
8 minRead Psalms 85:8–13. Point out the voice change in verse 8: “I will hear what God, Yahweh, will speak”. After the group prayer, one voice says it will listen. Then list the poem’s images: peace, salvation near, glory in the land, mercy and truth meeting, righteousness and peace together, truth springing up, righteousness looking down, and the land yielding increase.
Psalms 85:8, Psalms 85:9, Psalms 85:10, Psalms 85:11, Psalms 85:12, Psalms 85:13
Closing: Retell the psalm in order
4 minFinish by reviewing the order together. First, the psalm remembers what God had done. Next, the group asks God to help them. Then the speaker says, “I will hear”, and the ending describes peace, righteousness, and good for the land. Let children name one word or image from each part.
Psalms 85:1, Psalms 85:4, Psalms 85:8, Psalms 85:10, Psalms 85:12
Questions to explore
In the opening lines, what had God already done, and how do you know these verses are remembering the past?
Look for the repeated words “you have” and name the actions in Psalms 85:1–3, such as favour, restoring, forgiving, covering sin, and turning away wrath.
Psalms 85:1, Psalms 85:2, Psalms 85:3
Who seems to be speaking in Psalms 85:4–7, and where does the voice change in the psalm?
Notice the group words “us” and “our” in the prayer, then find the line “I will hear” where the speaking voice becomes singular in Psalms 85:8.
Psalms 85:4, Psalms 85:6, Psalms 85:7, Psalms 85:8
Which pictures in the last part of the psalm show hope for the people and the land?
Look for the poem’s word-pictures about peace, salvation near, mercy and truth meeting, righteousness and peace together, truth springing up, righteousness looking down, and the land yielding increase.
Psalms 85:8, Psalms 85:9, Psalms 85:10, Psalms 85:11, Psalms 85:12, Psalms 85:13
Make, think or respond
Illustrated Prayer or Image Card
What you’ll need
- paper or card
- pencils
- coloured pencils or markers
- Bible text of Psalm 85:1–13
Try it together
- Read Psalms 85:8–13 again and let each child choose one image or phrase from the psalm.
- Fold the paper in half or use a small card, then write the chosen words clearly on one side.
- Draw a matching picture, such as land, peace, truth springing up, or righteousness looking down.
- Add a short label showing where it belongs in the psalm: remember, ask, or hope.
- Invite children to show their card and read the verse words they used.
This activity helps children notice both the psalm’s images and its movement from remembered mercy to prayer and hope.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, offer two or three possible images from Psalms 85:10–12 and write the verse words for them to trace or copy.
- For older or more confident children, ask them to mark where the group voice uses “us” and “our” and where the singular voice says, “I will hear”.
An optional closing prayer
“God of our salvation, thank you for your mercy. Please turn us to you, teach us to hear your peace, and help us rejoice in you. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Psalms 85
1 Yahweh, you have been favorable to your land. You have restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people. You have covered all their sin. Selah.
3 You have taken away all your wrath. You have turned from the fierceness of your anger.
4 Turn us, God of our salvation, and cause your indignation toward us to cease.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you draw out your anger to all generations?
6 Won’t you revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your loving kindness, Yahweh. Grant us your salvation.
8 I will hear what God, Yahweh, will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, his saints; but let them not turn again to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth springs out of the earth. Righteousness has looked down from heaven.
12 Yes, Yahweh will give that which is good. Our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness goes before him, and prepares the way for his steps.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.