Grace and blessing

that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
Psalm 67:2

What do you think it takes for God’s ways to be known throughout the earth? Teaching, training, more Bible colleges, simultaneous videocasts and podcasts to all nations? And what would it take for God’s salvation to be known among all nations? Mass evangelism, large crusades, a miracle-a-minute? Recently I was on vacation in Europe and had time to read and reflect. I barely got through this one psalm, struck by its richness.

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us, Selah
2 that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah 

5 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 

6 Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. 

7 God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

Is this right? Is this all takes: “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us”? This is similar to the Genesis 12 principle: blessed to be a blessing. The purpose of God blessing us is not just so that we can be a blessing. He blesses us so that the nations may know his ways. 

You may say, “I am less into teaching and more about evangelism.” Psalm 67 says God’s blessing is also a means of salvation coming to people in the nations: “your salvation among all nations.” You don’t always have to tell them about sin and hell and the like: God’s kindness leads to repentance.

This gives a fresh impetus to pray, “Lord, bless us indeed. If it will make your ways known better among the nations, then bless us abundantly, bless us extravagantly.” My prayer is that God will bless your business with his graciousness and his face-shining presence.

Reflections

• Have you held back on asking for God’s blessing because you thought it was for you?
  
  
• What if you really believed he wants to bless you in such a way that the nations would see it and thereby know his ways?