“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.”
Psalm 67 is the psalm of the week associated with our readings for this coming weekend, the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (Year A). It reminds us that the kingdom of God is for all people, not just the Israelites. Mankind is the crown of God’s creation, no matter their ethnicity or background.
Paul even reinforces the idea in his letter to Timothy: “God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) We are to pray for those who openly oppose God, even those whose cultures conflict with Christian beliefs. Even the most ardent atheist, or the young child in a remote part of Africa who has no idea what a Bible or even a book is, is loved by God. He sent his Son to die for all, and that includes them!
Jesus calls us to go into all the world and preach to all creation (Mark 16:15). But our world is full of different languages and cultures. How will we share the gospel with all of them? That is part of the work of our church body. Some of our pastors learn to speak and preach in various languages. A part of our synod’s missions group works to publish materials that share the gospel in over 50 languages and counting. We have supported and worked with many confessional Lutheran church bodies across the world.
Our church body is doing wonderful work! But what can we do? First, we can give thanks to God for the blessings he has given us, both personally and as a church. Second, we can (and should!) use these blessings to share the gospel with others, either personally with our friends and neighbors or in supporting those who share the gospel around the world. Lastly, and most importantly, we can pray that God continues to bless us so that these efforts may continue to grow until all the world hears the gospel. We can pray the very words of the psalm: “May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you!“
Prayer: Gracious and merciful God, fill our hearts with joy and confidence so that, with all boldness, we may proclaim the story of your salvation among all the peoples of the earth to the praise of your great name; through Jesus our Savior. Amen.
This song by Getty Music is based on Psalm 67. In our church’s new Psalter, it is Psalm 67F.
This setting is also found in the Psalter, as Psalm 67A. It features a more traditional setting of refrain and verses.