Day 133.
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
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! (Psalm 67:1-3 ESV)
The first part of this verse comes from the Aaronic blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26 and is often the benediction upon God’s people at the end of worship services. That blessing, taken out of context, can easily be seen as a blessing for personal privilege and prosperity. The psalm gives us the rest of the story, “that your way may be known on earth…”. When God’s blessing comes, it comes for a bigger purpose than just you. It comes for you, yes, but by extension it is meant for all of God’s people and bigger still that the glory of God might be known throughout the world. Tis is not a knock on the individual blessing, either. It helps us to see that our blessing is that we are part of a much bigger purpose and part of a much bigger people. This runs counter to American individualism. Nonetheless, it is a good thing!
