S) "1 God be gracious to us and bless us,
And cause His face to shine upon us— Selah.
2 That Your way may be known on the earth,
Your salvation among all nations."
Psalm 67:1-2 (NASB)
O) These opening verses tie two concepts together in an important way. God's blessings are not primarily for those that He has blessed. The blessings of the LORD are to glorify Him. When He causes his face to shine upon us, when he blesses us, it is so that the rest of the world can acknowledge Him as the living God. His ways are known through His actions for His children. He is glorified when His salvation is manifested in our lives in an observable way.
A) There are two primary things I think I should take away from these verses. First, is that it is okay to ask the LORD for grace and blessings. Second, is that the grace and blessings I receive are to serve His purposes. This is repeated in James 4:1-3, when he spoke of wrong motives. So, in the above verses, we see that the correct motives would be to exalt the LORD. In fact, the best recourse might be, to begin asking for things only with evangelism, praise, and His glory, in mind.
P) Father, I have been so aware, lately, of the need for Your salvation for my loved ones. I have been consumed lately, praying for Your Truth to pierce their hearts individually, and for me to present the gospel to them, however I might. I want to be used for Your glory, to minister to my family, however You see fit. With that evangelism in mind, Father God, please be gracious to me and bless me, and cause Your face to shine upon me. In that way, let Your ways be known to my family, and Your salvation be known to them, so that they can see You are the Living God, who hears the prayers of His children, and blesses them according to His will. According to Your will, let this be done. Above all else, I pray that their hearts are softened to the gospel, and that You open their eyes and ears to know the Truth. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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