Psalm 67:5-7 "Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. (6) Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. (7) God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him."
Not wanting to add anything to the Word of God, I would understand if the word,
"Selah" was placed at the end of these passages. Think about
these things. Think about what God is saying to us through David. Meditate on
these things. Apply these things. We want our nation to turn around and
be what we remember as we were growing up. What is the answer? How can that be
accomplished? Read these three verses again and see what God is saying to
America today.
As I read these verses, I'm tempted to say, "Yea! That's what everyone
else needs to be doing!" If people in Washington would apply these
verses, then our nation would be great once again. That's what I'm
tempted to say, but the Holy Spirit is saying to me that I need to apply these
verses in my life. I can't change anyone else, but I can change with
God's help. What will result in God's people praising Him? Again, read
these three verses. The simple answer is this, "God will bless us."
What happened to cause such a downward spiral in our nation? My thought is that
we have turned from God to all the modern conveniences. We push a button
and things happen. If they don't happen, we hit the restart button. We
can go online, click on an item, put it on the charge card, and it's delivered
in a few days. We take a meal out of the freezer and place it in the microwave.
It's ready to eat in minutes. It seems our dependence has been placed in things
and technology rather than the mercy and grace of God.
"Let the people praise thee, O God." It's time we truly turn back to
God. It's wonderful for me to quote 2 Chronicles 7:14. It seems God is saying, "It's fine to quote the Scripture, but
it's more important to live it." God is deserving of our praise
which originates in our hearts and ascends to His throne of grace. David spoke
of this praise coming from the heart. His son, Solomon, also spoke of the
principle of praise and blessing. "My son, give me thine heart, and
let thine eyes observe my ways." (Proverbs 23:26)
God is saying through both these men, "When you give me your heart and
offer genuine praise, I WILL BLESS YOU."