Psalm 67:1-7
Key
Verse: 1
“May God
be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us,” NRSV
The first verse of the Psalm
mirrors the beginning of a common benediction, which comes from Numbers 6:
24-26. The first time I heard it was at
my high school baccalaureate. It must have been given by the Episcopal priest, because
I associated it with Episcopalians before I came to realize that it was a
passage of scripture, which he prayed over us and with which he sent us out
into the world. For some reason the imagery of this benediction has captivated
me my whole life since. I love the idea of God’s face shining down one me like the
rays of the sun. When I lift my face to the sun I can feel God’s guidance and
know the paths down which God is leading me.
The priest prayed this over us, sending us out into the world with God’s
light shining us, illuminating our
paths, giving us God’s peace and assurance that as long as we walked down the path
on which God took us, we were headed in the right direction. When I feel lost,
when I feel I have lost the way. I lift my face to the sun, and know God’s face
is shining on me and I open my eyes to the God’s way, that it might be revealed
to me and walk with assurance and peace in the ways God illuminates for me.
Things to
Think on
What does
it mean to you to know God’s face is shining upon you?
Can you
feel the warmth of God’s guidance today? If you don’t can you ask God to make
God’s face shine upon you so that you may see God’s way today?
What are
the things which help you see God’s path in your life? For me it is lifting my
face to the sun. What do you do, what can you do to help you focus on God, God’s
ways and the light God is giving to you to reveal to you the way God’s path
goes?
Look for
God’s way(s) in your life, today. Find
the ways God is gently leading you and revealing to you where you should go and
what you should do.
A Prayer
for Today
Today I
look to the sun, I lift my face to its light, feel the warmth of its rays.
Shine you face upon me this morning, like the sun on a bright day. Let your way
be made clear before me. In the same way the light of the Sun reveals all to me
the way along the street, may you light the ways I should go today. So that I
can be a person who walks in your ways; who lives out your character; who goes
where you would go; who does what you would do, and who speaks as you would
speak in all the places I am today, with all the people I with whom interact today.
– Amen
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