Sunday Psalms: Chapters 67-69

Psalm 67:1-2 "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us, that Your ways be known on earth, Your salvation among the nations."

This passage is incredibly soothing to me. It's such a benediction of peace. And of purpose. I want God's face to shine on me. Of course I do. There can be no greater blessing than His Presence. Yet He has set His people as a testimony upon earth, a testimony to His greatness, His salvation, His love.

I am an image-bearer of Christ. In me, and in all believers, He has chosen to make Himself known to all the world. I want my life to reflect His Presence.

Psalm 68:9-10 "You gave abundant showers, O God; You refreshed Your weary inheritance. Your people settled in it, and from Your bounty, O God, You provided for the poor."

God always provides. He makes a paradise out of dry land; He renews what's broken; He makes a way for His people. Not that His provision always looks like what we expected. Sometimes the way He provides is the farthest thing from what we expected. The question is whether or not we trust that His way is best. Because it is. Our God is always faithful.

Psalm 69:15 "Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me."

There is something uniquely terrifying about being buried alive. I've always been scared of slowly being pulled into darkness, unable to move, and suffocating in panic and despair. It ranks very high on my conception of the worst ways to die. Yet, even as bad as that is as physical death, sin does the same thing to us. And spiritual death is far, far worse. Sin sucks you into blackness, cutting off all the light until you can only see your fear. And that fear will strangle you.

So much of our world walks around in fear and darkness, slowly being killed by sin. I don't want to live like that, and I don't want to see other people live like that, either.

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What do these verses say to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!