Psalm 67
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
6 The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him. [1]
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This is one of the most missional of all the psalms. It is a prayer that God be gracious and bless His people so that His ways would become known throughout the earth, among all the nations, with the result that all the nations join in singing His praises. Verse 1 is really a condensed version of the Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) with which we often close worship: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” This Psalm shows the goal of that blessing, that the mission of God be fulfilled through His people.
This is a prayer that we can and should pray often for ourselves and the church today. We pray that God would bless us – not for our own sake – but for the sake of His mission. What are the end results that we are praying for in this psalm?
- That God’s ways be known throughout the earth
- That all people come to praise God
- That God would rule and guide all the nations of the earth
- That the land would provide for all the people
These are certainly worthy outcomes to pray for, all flowing from the first thing that is prayed for, that God would be gracious and bless His people. So this is my prayer today, that God would bless me, my family, my church, and all His people, for the sake of His kingdom, His mission.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Ps 67:1–7). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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