Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Please Bless Us
Today’s Verse:
God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. ~Psalm 67:1
The word “blessing” carries with it the idea of approval, favor, goodness, help, and being greatly enabled. The word “bless” in Hebrew is “barach,” and the word “blessing” in Hebrew is “berachah.” Psalm 67 is a very short psalm, but it is packed with richness. It is the prayer of God’s people for His blessing.
We see the prayer.
“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.” First, this should be the heart cry of God’s people for our church and for our world. It is an acknowledgement that we are constantly in need of His mercies. His mercies speak of His pity and longsuffering towards us. His mercies speak of His forgiveness that we need. Second, we simply request His blessing. We need God’s blessing and favor upon us. When we request that He shine His face upon us, we are asking for favor and help. Jabez prayed, “Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed.” We must pray for God’s blessing.
We see the permeation.
“That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.” We must be specific about the request for blessing. God’s people asked that His message of salvation would be known throughout the earth. “Saving health” is also translated “salvation.” In Hebrew, salvation is “yeshua” or Joshua. Joshua is Jesus! Jesus is salvation! We are to pray for the salvation of the Lord to spread throughout the earth. Pray for God to bless the spreading of God’s Word to all nations.
We see the praise.
“Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.” When we ask for God’s blessing, it includes the praise of the Lord from all of His people. Blessing and the praise of God go hand in hand. To ask for God’s blessing and have a heart of unthankfulness negates God’s hand on us. A blessed people is a thankful people. A thankful people is a blessed people. The greater the blessings, the greater the praise we render to God. Are the praises from your lips proportional to the blessings you are receiving?
We see the practice.
“O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.” The request for God’s blessing includes His righteous judgment in the world. It is the request that all nations are governed by the Word of God. We know that only in the Millennium will there be the execution of perfect justice. Yet, the prayer of blessing reminds us that we must pray “For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” (1 Timothy 2:2).
We see the performance.
“God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.” There is the confidence and anticipation that God will perform. As the church of the living God walks before Him justly and in holiness, He blesses the work of the gospel through it. What an awesome thought that all the earth shall fear before Him. Let us pray that the blessing of God is seen through us during our generation. O God, bless us!
Have a blessed God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Psalms 9-16
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