The Ripple Effect

Introduction: The Purpose of the Blessing

I want to start with a question for each of us to consider personally: Why do you ask God to bless you?

It’s a natural prayer, isn't it? "Lord, bless my family." "Bless my health." "Bless my finances." "Bless my work." We pray for favor, for provision, for safety. And these are good things to pray for. But have you ever stopped to ask what the ultimate purpose of that blessing is? Is it simply for our own comfort, our own security, our own happiness? Is God’s blessing a private pool meant only for us to enjoy?

This morning, we look at a short, seven-verse psalm that completely re-frames our understanding of blessing. Psalm 67 is a missionary anthem. It’s a radical prayer against spiritual selfishness. It teaches us that God’s blessing is not a dead-end street that stops with us. It is a mighty river of grace, intended to flow through us to water the driest corners of the earth.

This psalm shows us the divine ripple effect: how a personal blessing from God is designed to result in global praise.

I. The Prayer for Blessing – The Starting Point (v. 1)

The psalm begins with a prayer that would have been very familiar to the people of Israel.

A. A Familiar and Godly Prayer

Verse 1 says, "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah." This is a direct echo of the great Aaronic Blessing from Numbers chapter 6. It’s a beautiful and profound request. To ask for God’s mercy is to ask for grace instead of judgment. To ask for His blessing is to ask for His divine favor and provision. To ask for His face to shine upon us is to ask for His presence, His approval, and His relational warmth.

This is the starting point of our faith. It is right and good to desire the presence and favor of God in our lives. We cannot give what we have not first received. Before we can be a channel, we must first be filled.

B. The Danger of the Dead End

But here lies a subtle danger for every believer and every church. We can become so focused on receiving the blessing that we forget why it’s given. The blessing can become a dead end. We treat God’s grace like a reservoir to be hoarded, rather than a river to be shared. Our prayers become inwardly focused: "God, bless me, my family, my church." We become content to swim in the pool of our own blessing, forgetting a world that is dying of thirst. But this psalm is about to shatter that mindset.

II. The Purpose of Blessing – The Divine "So That" (v. 2)

Verse 2 is the pivot upon which the entire psalm turns. It is the divine purpose clause that gives meaning to the prayer in verse 1.

A. The Great "So That"

Look at the connection. "God bless us..." WHY? Verse 2 answers immediately: "THAT thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations."

This is the great "so that" of our faith. We are blessed so that others will see God. Our blessing is not the destination; it is the vehicle. God shines His face on us so that His light will be reflected to a dark world. Every blessing you receive from God has a missionary purpose attached to it. Your personal experience of God’s grace is meant to go public.

B. From our City to the Continents

What is it that the world is meant to see in us?

1. "Thy way may be known": This is God’s character, His justice, His mercy, His way of life. When you conduct your business with integrity, when you show forgiveness to someone who has wronged you, when you live with peace in anxious times, you are making God’s "way" known.

2. "Thy saving health among all nations": The Hebrew word for "saving health" is Yeshua. It is the word for salvation. It is the name of our Savior, Jesus. We are blessed so that the world may know Jesus!

How does God blessing you in your home help someone in a remote village in a closed country? It happens when your blessing fuels your generosity to support missionaries. It happens when you share your testimony with a neighbor. It happens when your life is so transformed by the grace of God that people ask you for the reason for your hope.

III. The Product of Blessing – The Global Response (vv. 3-7)

When the purpose of blessing is fulfilled, what is the result? The psalm ends with a vision of the glorious, inevitable outcome.

A. The Goal is Worship

The refrain appears twice, in verses 3 and 5: "Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee." The ultimate goal of missions is not just notches on a belt or numbers in a church. The goal of missions is worship. The product of God's blessing flowing through us is a global choir, where every tribe, tongue, and nation lifts its voice in praise to the one true God.