Wednesday, November 23 – Psalm 67:5-7

May the peoples praise You, God; may all the peoples praise You. The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us. God blesses us, so that all the ends of the earth may fear Him.

Psalm 67 is filled with hope. The psalmist lived in the same broken world we do and was affected by sin and hurt just as we are. Though we live in 2022, we still feel the same curse that the writer did. Yet we often reflect a different heart than the one seen in this Scripture. Rather than being anxious or frustrated over what God wasn’t doing or hadn’t yet done yet, the psalmist rejoiced over what God had done for His people. Regardless of the external circumstances, God had blessed His people to in turn bless others so that the entire world would know about Him. The psalmist prayed with the hope of what God would do in the world and what he knew God had the power to do.

When we are struck with despair or frustration, this Word of God anchors us to press on toward the cause of Christ, living a life marked by His love and sacrifice so that all people may know Him. We do not have to see present results to know this to be true—we have evidence in God’s Word of His faithfulness in ages past. Frustration and bitterness over what God isn’t doing or hasn’t done yet doesn’t lead people to know God, but praising Him over how He has blessed us certainly does. Let’s put our trust in what God can do through His people, respond to Him in humility, and be excited to see how He wants to use us for His purpose.

• How has the hope of the Psalm 67 encouraged you?
• How has God used you to share His message of hope and praise to the world?
• Pray and thank God that even in difficult circumstances, we can hold onto the hope that He holds the victory.