Psalm 67:1-3
May God be gracious to us and bless us. May his face shine on us—so that your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God. May the peoples praise you—all of them.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We look forward to your grace today to have your face shine upon us. In the words of Luther, we ask, “what does this mean?” We say something similar when talking of a loved one’s face lighting up after being separated from them, like in the videos posted on social media. Military moms and dads were coming home from long deployments; everyone’s faces lit up as they saw each other. We were separated from you in our sin, with nothing we could do to restore ourselves. However, you restored us to you by sending your Son, Jesus. He redeemed us—bought us—from sins bondage, and we receive his redemptive gift through faith, knowing our sins have been completely washed away with his blood. We are restored to you, and because of our forgiveness and trust in Jesus, we are no longer separated from you. May your face light up that we have been made right in your eyes, for Jesus’ sake. You have blessed us with the forgiveness of all our sins. We can now come before you and give you thanks and praise for all you have done for us. May all the peoples praise you, knowing their sins are forgiven, and for them, there is eternal life. Provide us opportunities to share your word with those who do not know the forgiveness Jesus won for them. So they will also be restored through faith and know you are also smiling upon them. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
God’s message of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life, is meant for all to enjoy. Because Christ has died and Christ has risen for the world’s sins. Christ will come again. Alleluia!