Why Should God Bless You?

              Why Should God Bless You?

A sermon on Psalm 67 by Coty Pinckney, Community Bible Church, Williamstown, MA 7/28/02

How many of you would like God to bless your life? Should you ask God to bless your life? Or is that selfish?

Bruce Wilkinson’s bestselling book, The Prayer of Jabez, elaborates on an obscure figure mentioned in 1 Chronicles, arguing that we should seek God’s blessing always. In 1 Chronicles 4:10 we read,

Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked. 

Why did God grant what Jabez asked? What is the reason for God's blessing?

There are many ways we can answer that question with Scriptural support: He loves his people. He delights to do them good. He is good. 

But there’s one fundamental reason that God blesses His people, and this reason is closely related to the missionary calling of the church. Today’s text, Psalm 67, gives us that reason.

During this morning’s message, we’ll consider three questions about the Psalm. Here is the first:
Why Should God Bless You?

This Psalm begins in a way that sounds similar to prayer of Jabez (actually, it more closely echoes the blessing that Aaron and his descendants said over the people of Israel, as recorded in Numbers 6) - but Psalm 67 goes deeper than the prayer of Jabez, telling us why God blesses his people. Let’s look at the first two verses of the Psalm:

God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us -- Selah. 2 That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations.  

The Psalmist asks for blessing so that God’s ways may be known on the earth. The Psalmist is saying, in effect, "Bless me, so that I might glorify you; bless me so that I might show your power, your love, your majesty, your goodness to all nations.”

Note that the Psalmist is not saying:

· He is not saying, “Bless me so that I can be comfortable.”

· He is not saying, “Bless me so that I don’t have to work hard to make a living.”

· He is not saying, “Bless me so that others will be envious of me.”

· He is not saying, “Bless me so that I can be successful in the eyes of the world.”

· Now listen carefully: He is not even primarily saying, “Bless me so that I can bless others.”


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