The End of Blessing

Back in 1997 when I first started studying the Fearing God passages I was struck by Psalm 67. I am sure I had seen it before, but not really. The psalm begins and ends with the premise that if God will bless us, then His ways would be known on earth, His salvation among all nations and that all the earth will fear Him. The middle of the psalm is all the reasons why the nations should praise Him and be glad.

I started really thinking through all my prayers: whether for wife (a year before I met Robin), good support, a strong movement at the university of Northern Colorado where I was the Campus Director for CCC, etc. I asked myself was if I really praying for these things so that God's ways and salvation would be known among every nation and that all the earth would fear Him. I had to be honest and often I just want to be blessed to be blessed, not blessed to be a blessing.

Being blessed is not the end, but God being feared and worshiped among all the peoples is! It didn't always change what I prayed for but why. If God would bless us with (fill in the blank) then all the ends of the earth would fear Him.