May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!
Psalm 67, ESV
As the psalm begins with a familiar line that would bring the mind of the reader back to the blessing given to Aaron and carried through the generations, it would be a reminder of God’s continued blessing of His chosen people. The praises we sing to God are not only meant to focus on the momentary blessings that we may have just experienced but to remind us of the continued blessings of God that have been given since the beginning of time. We aren’t meant to praise God only when things are going well in our lives, but even in times of difficulty. The blessing given to Abraham was not meant to be a blessing only to extend to his offspring, but that all generations of his offspring were meant to be a blessing to all of creation. Sin and the like often get in the way, but when we turn to God and realize all that He has done, we can carry out His blessing and return to the calling He has set forth for us. We are meant to be a blessing and bring praise to God. We are reminded of the balance of our God, who is always just and does not see things as we do with shades of grey, but He is clear in His expectations. His grace may cause us to see in grey, but we are not to confuse His mercy with His sense of what is just. In Christ, we find our forgiveness, but not our excuse, for Christ does not excuse our sin. We are a people blessed by God, and for this reason, we are to sing His praises. In the singing out of His praises, we are not only reminded of His mercy but of the judgment that comes to those who reject Him, and therefore we are to fear and love Him and always seek to find His favor.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.