“For The World” - Psalm 67 (Day 2)
The seven short verses of Psalm 67 pack quite a punch, jolting us from our tendency to think of faith through an individualistic lens. Rather than a consumer or critic, it invites us to be a contributor to the work God is actively doing. Instead of pondering what the Church can do for us, it challenges us to consider how we can be the Church in the places we call home as well as to our hurting and lost world. So, before we begin, I want to create space for you to pause and pray. Ask God to extend your worldview by expanding your heart for the needs around you.
We live in an age of consumption and consumerism, with this mindset sinking its teeth firmly into Christianity. We look for a faith community that fits our every want, need, and wish. We enjoy the blessing of God's grace and faithfulness but want very little of the responsibility that comes with it. We love the forgiveness God extends our way but can be greedy with handing it out to others. Psalm 67 calls us to live differently - that faith isn't something to be consumed but leveraged and given away.
With this in mind, I invite you to read Psalm 67. As you do, pay attention to how often words like earth, nations, and people appear.
Psalm 67 says this:
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
6 The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
Take a moment to reflect on what you read:
How does this prayer expand one’s worldview?
If we fail to look outside ourselves, the world doesn't experience the power and beauty of the Church. As a result, culture misses seeing the body of Christ united while serving as an agent of change. As believers, Christ doesn't call us to be for ourselves; He tasks us with being for the world. The world doesn't have to guess what the Church is against because for far too long, we've devoted a great deal of energy making that known. The world needs an advocate to hear what the Church is for, namely them.
Being for the world looks much different than one would expect. It's subversive, quiet, and behind the scenes. Rather than coming in thinking we're saviors, we position ourselves as servants. It entails engaging culture with humility rather than rallying against it with pride. These tiny drops of forgiveness, love, and grace ripple out from the places we call home.
Take a moment and consider…How would you describe a “for the world” mindset?
Read today’s passage slowly one more time.
Psalm 67 says this:
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
6 The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
The call to be "for the world" might take some around the globe, but for most of us, it means engaging in the ordinary course of our relationships as we go about our day. Our mission field is our home, neighborhood, school, social circles, or workplace. Being for the world isn't a program but a way of life. To accept Christ's mission is to be commissioned to the people around you. Then, by orienting and reorienting our lives with the ways of God's Kingdom, God uses us to bring His redemptive love to a lost and hurting world looking for hope.
We're not here to fix, convince, coerce or save others but to be a visible expression of God's redemptive love and forgiveness. We love because He first loved us. Extending a hand to others shows we understand the hand that Christ extended our way. An encounter with Christ always expresses itself through serving and others-focused love. A family collectively focused on a way of life lived under the rule of Christ's love can't help but leave fingerprints of His grace and mercy on everything it touches.
So, as we begin to wrap up our time together, we want to provide you some space to respond to what we read and maybe to what God is trying to say to you through Psalm 67. First, take a moment to process this question…Where do you have opportunities around you right now to be “for the world”?
Another question to consider is this…What would it look like for you to be "for the world" in those places this week?
PRAYER
Father God,
May I do my part to make Your name known by the way I serve and love others.
I desire for my life to show how an encounter with Your grace transforms a person's heart.
Open my eyes to the places where there are needs around me.
May I display courage and faithfulness by stepping into those places fueled by Your compassion and care. Amen.