A Prayer for Revival
May the Lord be gracious, bless us,
Manifest His presence to us,
Through His saving actions all the world around.
Draw out praise from all the people,
Songs of gladness; Jubilate!
For you show the nations justice, mercy, love.
Earth has given great abundance;
Join the praising and the dancing!
Let the earth from pole to pole proclaim God’s praise!
Psalm 67 NRSV
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us (Selah), that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. (Selah)
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.
Matthew Henry
All our happiness comes from God’s mercy; therefore, the first thing prayed for is, “God be merciful to us, to us sinners, and pardon our sins.” Pardon is conveyed by God’s blessing and secured in that. If we, by faith, walk with God, we may hope that his face will shine on us. The psalmist passes on to a prayer for the conversion of the Gentiles, which shows that the Old Testament saints desired that their advantages might also be enjoyed by others. And many Scripture prophecies and promises are wrapped up in prayers: the answer to the prayer of the church is as sure as the performance of God’s promises. The joy wished to the nations is holy joy. Let them be glad that by his providence the Lord will overrule the affairs of kingdoms; that even the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of the Lord, and of his Christ. Then is declared a joyful prospect of all good when God shall do this. The success of the gospel brings outward mercies with it; righteousness exalts a nation. The blessing of the Lord sweetens all our creature comforts to us and makes them comforts indeed. All the world shall be brought to worship Him.[1]
Psalm 80:17-19 NKJV
Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn back from You; revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!
Mrs. C. H. Morris
Had I a thousand tongues to sing, the half could ne’er be told of love so rich, so full and free, of blessings manifold; of grace that faileth never, peace flowing as a river from God the glorious Giver; to Him give thanks!
Let All the People Praise Thee
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Ps 67:1.
