May God be gracious to us and bless us; may he make his face shine upon us so that your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. (67:1-2)
We often tend to lean on verse one without taking into account verse two. We all want the grace of God, the blessing of God, and we all want His face to shine upon us. Most prosperity oriented Evangelicalism these days is centered on these concepts. In our quest for an “individualistic” Christianity, we focus on what God does for “me” and what it all means to “me.” Yet the context of God’s grace and blessing is made clear in verse two. He does these things so that His way may be known on the earth and so that His salvation will reach to all nations.
I have put it this way in sermons before… “God did not save you so you could sit in a pew, soak up His blessings and sour… He saved you so you could serve Him and others.” That is the point of our salvation. It is the point of God’s favor and grace in our lives and it is the point of His face shining on us. He shines on us and He shines through us so that the rest of the world may see His glory and know His ways. In these days of extraordinary narcissism, hedonism, injustice and uncertainty do people see God’s face shining on you? Are your words and your actions making His ways known on the earth? Are you proclaiming His salvation among all nations?
