Global praise
by Rachael Stelzer
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May the peoples praise you, God …
May all the peoples praise you (Psalm 67:3,5).
Let’s finish this week with a beautiful psalm of corporate praise. With its repeated refrain, this was a psalm for all the people to sing with a cantor or song leader. But it’s so much more than that.
It begins with a tweaking of the Aaronic blessing, that early blessing of the Jewish people.
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us …
But we instantly learn that this blessing is not just for the people of Israel.
… so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
This is bigger than just one chosen people – this is universal. God’s blessing is for everyone.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
And while the psalm has begun by asking for God’s blessing, it continues by acknowledging that God has already blessed us. It sings with gratitude.
The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
And the ultimate reason for God’s blessing over us? Recognition by the whole world that God is God.
May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
As the people of God, it’s easy to look around our world and hear the voices of fear and doom around us. We watch world leaders and local leaders swap blame and whole groups of people clashing against each other. One could be forgiven for thinking that we are not being blessed right now.
But it is in choosing to look for ways we are being blessed, examples of where God is at work and where people are being loved, that we lift our praise to God, and the ends of the earth learn to fear him. And as we praise God, we realise that all over the world, people we have never met are also lifting up his name.
Please do yourself a favour this weekend. Sit with this psalm. Take a deep breath. Read it slowly to yourself. It will only take a minute. And give yourself some space to think about how God has blessed you.
Heavenly Father, as we lift our praise to you, whether it is easy for us or a desperate act of faith, you are changing us into the likeness of your Son. Let all the peoples see and learn to fear you. Let your people all over the world love in your name and thank you for your blessings, so that your ways may be known on earth. Praise be to you! Amen.
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