I love Psalm 67 for how rich with thankfulness of God’s nature it is. “May God be gracious” – He has shown incredible grace throughout time to the undeserving who have pursued only damnation but turned instead to Him. “And bless us” – the joy, provision, peace, meaning, stronghold, and much more He has blessed and enriched our lives with. “Make His face to shine upon us” – this language of our God pleased at our actions done according with His will & His word, exuding a wondrous & contagious joy!
We see God’s mercy and grace span all time – from echoes of God’s promise to Abram in Genesis 12 (“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”), to referencing Aaron’s blessing in Numbers 6:24-26, for the future provisions we know He will sustain. Finally, all the way down the line to Christ’s call to discipleship in Matthew 28:18-20. It’s a thankful expression of the hope we have diligently maintained that one day soon, the whole earth will bow to Christ and hear His word as a whole, as was ordained. As well as appreciation of every gift from God we’ve received along the way!
This psalm highlights the necessity of missions in this day & age – we need those called by God to spread His good news across the planet more than ever now. While I’ve never been much of a missions guy myself, but when I’ve talked to friends & church members who’ve traveled the globe sharing Christ’s word, I am reminded of the true awe-inspiring power of the Holy Spirit. For it seems everyone I’ve talked to knows it’s not from them that the glory is God is originated, but through them & their acts God is magnified and His blessings are distributed, and that it is wholly by God’s grace they are able to share it. It exemplifies humbly moving our prayers for self-sustenance – “bless me, Lord” – to all people beyond just ourselves. It is in this humility and selflessness that I hear echoes of Psalm 67 – “Let all the peoples praise you!”
As this song includes Selah – a break of peace, of refrain & reflection – so should we too take a moment of quiet reflection to consider how our acts and support shares the Gospel with the world – both near and afar. The people of Earth need the assurance of Psalm 67, like we find in Deuteronomy 4:7-8: “What other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?” We are truly a blessed people, for the Lord our God guides our actions, doles out His fair judgement, and ordains the truest and fairest of laws we could ever follow. All praise to God the Father, and let all the people praise Him today and forevermore!