Praise You, O God!

This past week the situation in Afghanistan has weighed heavy on me. I’ve thought of and prayed for all the families and friends of those who have died. I’ve prayed for those who are living in terror of being taken, beaten, or killed because of their Christian faith or because they are female. I’ve prayed for those trying to defend and rescue. I’ve prayed for those trying to escape. I’ve prayed for those that have fled and now must try to start a new life somewhere else with only a few belongings. I’ve prayed for those separated from other family members.

As I sit in my office with the beauty of Montana outside my window, it is difficult to imagine the depths of grief, fear, hopelessness, and pain that so many have and are facing. Life was turned upside down almost overnight.

This is true in other circumstances. Natural disasters wreak havoc and change or take lives. Just recently in Tennessee the flooding claimed at least twenty-two lives, injured others and stole possessions. Hurricane Ida has gone through Louisiana and Mississippi claiming some lives and leaving people in need of rescue or without power and drinkable water. This past year two dear friends were diagnosed with breast cancer. It came out of the blue and altered their lives forever.

There are so many more situations in the world and in personal lives that remind me again and again that people need Jesus. For you, it may be a spouse who left, a health concern, a child who is struggling, loss of job, overwhelming debt, grief, an abusive relationship, an empty nest or facing retirement. For others, broader problems in our country or in the world may burden you. In all these circumstances, we need Jesus. If we are saved, we need His wisdom, comfort, strength, and guidance. For those who have not come to saving faith, they need Jesus’ saving, redeeming work in their lives.

Psalm 67 is the reminder and encouragement I needed.

May God be gracious to us and bless us,

and make His face to shine upon us,

that Your way may be known on earth,

Your saving power among all nations.

Let the peoples praise You, O God;

let all the peoples praise You!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy

for You judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth.

Let the peoples praise You, O God;

let all the peoples praise You!

The earth has yielded its increase;

God, our God, shall bless us.

God shall bless us

let all the ends of the earth fear Him!

The first two lines may sound familiar. They echo the first part of Aaron’s blessing in Numbers 6:22-27. Aaron’s blessing was for the Israelites, but in Psalm 67, the Psalmist has a broader scope for the blessing to impact the world (vs 2, 4, 7), but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Psalm 67 is a prayer put to song. It is a prayer about blessing, but a blessing that focuses on God’s purposes not our own. The Psalmist begins by asking God to be gracious, to bless and to make His face to shine up them (vs 1). For God’s face to shine upon them reflected God’s presence being with them or symbolizing God’s favor upon them.

The Psalmist gives the first purpose in verse 2, “that Your way may be known on earth, Your saving power among all nations.” The Psalmist asks for God’s blessing, so that God and His ways would be known, and even more specifically that God’s saving power would go out among all the nations. When God saves us, His Spirit indwells us. His presence is with us continually. Because Jesus was the once-for-all atonement and now mediates for us, we can boldly go before the throne of grace, into the presence of God (Hebrews 4:16). We have experienced God’s blessing of salvation, the blessing of His presence. Like the Psalmist, we can pray that the blessing in our lives would cause others to come to saving faith as well.

The second purpose in God’s blessing us is for God to be glorified (vs 3-5, 7b). The Psalmist calls on all the people to praise God (vs 3). He requests the nations to be glad and sing for joy (vs 4). The Psalmist repeats his call for all the people to praise God (vs 5), and then he petitions for all the ends of the earth to fear God. God’s blessing, His saving work in our lives, His very presence should cause praise to spring up in us.

“Glorifying God and enjoying Him go hand in hand. Experiencing His salvation brings great joy and results in giving Him great glory.”[1]

In verse 6 the Psalmist likely is using a rhetorical perfect tense of the verb (“has yielded”). This simply means that the person speaking is so confident of the future action taking place that they speak of it as already accomplished. So, the Psalmist goes from asking for God’s blessing in verse 1 to being certain of it happening (vs 6-7a).

God promised Abraham that all the nations would be blessed through Abraham’s offspring (Genesis 22:18). We know that this blessing was fulfilled in Jesus, a Jew, who brought salvation to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews (Galatians 3:8-9). In a reversal, Paul spoke of God using the blessing of salvation coming to the Gentiles to make the Jews jealous and open their eyes to the Messiah Jesus. God uses the blessings He gives us to bring others to salvation. He blesses others through His blessings to us.

Let’s return to the situation in Afghanistan, I’m praying that Christians will look to God’s purposes in the blessings He has already abundantly bestowed on us. I’m praying that we will never cease to praise God and glorify Him for those blessings. I’m praying that those blessings and our praise to God will be a light of salvation to those in darkness. God chooses to bless us, so that others might be blessed through us unto salvation and praise of God. Let it be so!

The same is true for whatever situation may be on your heart right now. Verse 4 says that God judges the people with equity and guides the nations. We can be encouraged that God is working. God is sovereign. God is just. God is omnipotent. God is worthy of all our praise.

Reflection

1. Make two columns on a sheet of paper. In the first column, write down the emotions that you’ve been feeling or words that describe whatever situation has been on your heart. Then re-read Psalm 67 and write down all the “God is” truths. How does it change your perspective? Fear is one word I think of with those in the Afghanistan situation. God’s grace and His saving power are just two things I see in Psalm 67 that transform fear of man into reverent fear and trust of God.

2. Have you considered that God’s blessings in your life go beyond the personal blessing to you? How can you use the ways God has blessed you to bless others? To point to His saving power? To cause others to glorify and reverently fear God? Be specific.

3. God is worthy of all our praise. Take time not only to praise Him for the blessings He has given you, but also to pray that Christians would be a testimony of God’s blessing so others would be blessed too, especially by God’s saving power.

[1] Futato, M. D. (2009). The Book of Psalms. In Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 7: The Book of Psalms, The Book of Proverbs (p. 224). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.