Blessings and Praises

SCRIPTURE
Psalm 67:1-4 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the people praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.


OBSERVATION
The psalmist asks for God's blessings for His people. They pray, in turn, that because of the people's praises to God, the nations see and praise Him as well. They see that God provides for his people and that He is a just and guiding God.


APPLICATION
The blessings of God are many, from material to emotional to spiritual. To me, one of the greatest gifts we have is hope - hope that comes from a loving Father who is with us through good and bad times . . . hope that allows us to endure daily struggles of life and relationships . . . and a hope that we have a perfect eternity ahead of us through the price paid by Jesus. How do people make it through life without hope? I don't want to know.

PRAYER
I pray that people who do not know Jesus will see hope demonstrated in my life. Father, let me model reliance and hope in You to my children, my friends, and all those around me. Amen.