May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us that your way may be known on Earth, your saving power among all nations.
– Psalm 67:1–2
Psalm 67:1–2 the two verses that I pray almost every night over my kids, that God would be gracious to them and bless them and make his face to shine upon them. This comes from the priestly blessing of Numbers 6. Just think about what we pray for each other in this way, even for our own lives. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us.
God, we ask you to help us to spread the good news so that others might know the saving power of God.
These Verses Reveal the Purpose For God’s Favor
Don’t you want that? Don’t you want the grace of God in your life? The blessing of God in your life? The face of God to shine upon your life? And what a great thing to pray for others, that God would be gracious to them, bless them, and cause his face to shine upon them, his favor to be all over them. Just picture the face of God shining upon you, others, yes. We pray for this. Verse two, so that, here’s the purpose of God’s grace. Here’s the purpose of God’s blessing. Here’s the purpose of God’s favor so that his ways may be known on the Earth and his saving power among all nations.
These two verses, maybe better than anywhere else in the Bible, summarize the purpose of God’s love and God’s grace and God’s blessing. God blesses his people. He gives grace to his people. He causes his face to shine upon his people. Why? So that he may show his ways through them on the Earth, so that his saving power might spread among all the nations. In other words, we are not the ultimate end of his blessing. God blesses us so that his glory and his grace and his saving power and love and mercy might shine through us that others might enjoy his grace and mercy, that others might receive his blessing. God blesses us for the spread of his grace and his glory in the world.
God’s Mercy Causes Us to Live Differently
Let this change the way you view your life. You and I have been blessed by God. God shows us such grace, for a purpose. That we might play a part, a significant part that is, in the spread of his blessing and grace, his glory and mercy, among all the Earth, among all the nations. This is the purpose of your life. Do not relegate the global mission of God to a compartmentalized program in the church for a select few people. This is the purpose for which you have breath. You have been blessed by God. I have been blessed by God. God gives us such grace for the spread of his glory, so, God, may it be so today we pray. Lord, we pray for your grace and your blessing and your favor to shine upon us, for your face to shine upon us today.
Psalm 67:1–2: Praying For God’s Grace and Blessings Over Our Lives
God, I pray this over every single person listening right now. That they know in a deeper way today your blessing and your grace and your face shining upon them. So that your ways show themselves through them, your saving power known right around them. God, we pray for each of our lives, God, that your saving power would spread through us today. Lord, we pray that you would give us boldness and compassion to share the gospel today, to lead others to know your saving power today, that others might know your blessing.
God, we pray for the people we will see today, tomorrow, in our spheres of influence. God, we pray that your saving power would spread through us. Don’t let us stay silent with your blessing and your grace in Christ in our lives. Help us to spread this good news that others might know your ways and your saving power. And, God, we pray that we wouldn’t stop until all the nations know, among all the nations know, your saving power. God, we pray for the Arabic-speaking Algerians of Algeria, God, 30 million of them, hardly any followers of Jesus.
Praying For Algeria
Lord, we pray that your saving power will be present in Algeria. Lord, we pray that your saving power be present among all 30 million Arabic-speaking Algerians today. God, we pray. Send laborers blessed by you with your face shining upon them for the spread of your grace through them. Lord, we pray for the spread of your grace and blessing and favor and ways and saving power among all the nations.
God, we pray Psalm 67:1–2 today in our lives, over the lives of those around us. God, we pray that the fruit of your blessing and your grace in our lives and your church would resound to your glory for the spread of your saving power among all the nations. We pray Psalm 67:1-2 in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
