THE RESULT OF OUR BLESSING
“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.” Psalm 67:1, 2, 7
Why is it that we should want God to bless us? Besides the fact that it will provide a more meaningful life to us, and more glory to God, the psalmist sings of how it will affect the world around us. This song requests God’s blessings for His children and asks that God would “cause his face to shine upon us” that His “way may be known upon earth.” His face shining upon us speaks of His presence and His favor. As much as we need all things He might do for us, more than that, we need Him. Not only do we need Him and His blessings for our sakes, we also need Him for the sake of others. Others need to see that our God is real and active in our personal lives.
There are many religions in our world. False gods are in abundance. Idolatry takes many forms. Some people worship the planet and the creation. Misled religions worship tradition that is mixed with Bible truth. Others hold to extra-Biblical writings they believe are sacred and elevate them above the Word of God. All of these practices stand in direct contrast to Bible Christianity. They may have a form of godliness, but they deny the basic tenets of true Biblical worship.
What separates Christianity from the rest? The answer has to do with our God and our Savior. Our God is Creator, the only true and living God, and He has manifested Himself to us in numerous ways. He has made Himself known through His creative acts, through His inspired Word, through His virgin-born Son who died for us and rose from the dead, and through His peculiar people.
The world needs to see that God is real, and He is working in the lives of His children. When Moses was pleading with God about the future journeys of the Israelites, the servant of the Lord made this comment, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence” (Exodus 33:15). It was the presence of God with His people, working with and through them, that made them unique. This is the reason we need His blessing, that the confused world that we live in might see that our God is not just a code or creed, but a living Person among us.