"God be gracious to us, and bless us; His face shine among us. That Your way be known on the earth; Your salvation among all the nations.” (vv. 1-2)
It is God’s nature to bless. However, we need to understand that His purpose is greater than we may realize. His ultimate goal encompasses far more than simply making us happy, peaceful, protected, and prosperous. In fact, it’s never the Lord’s intention for His blessings to end with us. Rather, He wants them to flow out to others as part of His plan for the whole earth.
As we see in today’s psalm, the Lord blesses us so that His salvation, His ways, and His justice may be known by every nation and people group around the globe (vv. 3-4, 7). He’s always acting with this larger picture in mind—even while working personally in each believer’s life. When your Father blesses you, He’s not only doing something for you; He’s also doing something in and through you to affect the lives of others and point people to Him.
Just as this psalmist prayed to be a blessing and a light to all the nations, we too need to ask God to; bless us, to shine through us, and use us to bring salvation to those around us as well.
The Truth: “I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)
