Psalm 67
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.
Finish this sentence: God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will ________ him.
When you think of ways to worship God what immediately comes to mind? Though only seven verses long, we see many different examples of worship packed into Psalm 67. It begins by asking God to be gracious, bless and shine his face (v.1) so that others will see the example of God’s love and be saved (v.2).
Acknowledging God’s mercy and committing to share it with others is a powerful act of worship. But the ends of the earth will know him is not the correct answer my question.
The passage continues by petitioning others to praise God, to be glad and sing for joy (vs. 3-4). Being joyful in a joyless world is a form of worship that spills into everything we do. In this instance nations will be transformed and will sing because God is a just ruler and guide.
Blessing the Lord sweetens everything we do including receiving the necessities of life, in this case the land giving us its harvest (v.6). But the ends of the earth will praise him is not the correct answer either.
The answer to my question is found in verse seven when it says “God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.” The concept of worshipping God by fearing him is an aspect of worship that is usually not talked about much. Hebrews 12:28-29 says “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire” (New Living Translation). How should we worship God? By fearing him!
In Exodus 20 we learn why fearing God is a good idea. After Moses explained the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, the people begged Moses keep God away from them because they were terrified of Him (vs.18-19). Moses replied to them in a very interesting way, he said: “God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (v.20).
You can only fear God because you really understand his power. Take a few moments to contemplate what this means and worship God in holy fear and awe.
Youth Department