#blessed

Every once in a while I'm overcome by the feelings of hopelessness that can only befall the chief of sinners who so needs that grace abounding. It's that crushing weight of being the worst possible Christian, the least diligent prayer of prayers, the shallowest Bible reader. I'm sure nobody else feels like this because I am the lowest of the low.

Perhaps God is looking at me and thinking, "Trust Me. I've seen worse." It doesn't feel like that, but, on the upside, that occasional feeling does make me look deeper, pray more, donthise things I ought to do but often don't.

All that to say, I've been moody lately and in that moodiness decided to read my Bible, specifically Psalm 67. Why 67? Not a clue. But, I read it because I felt like it, and I've been reading it almost daily since. Here's a bit of it:

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
    your salvation among all nations.

First off, I like that it's about God's blessings. I want to be #blessed. All God's children want to be #blessed. And the verses are almost asking for those blessings--May God be gracious to us and bless us. But it's not about blessings just for the sake of blessings; it's not about being blessed so that we have things or so that we feel good. This is asking for God's blessings so that the people around us will see and understand God's ways. Through seeing our blessings, people can see God, know Him, and experience Him. 

When God makes His "face shine on us," then people can see the goodness of God, like a radiant-faced Moses coming down from the mountain. Moses came down from the mountain, not carrying things we'd typically see as valuable; he was carrying stone tablets, but on those stone tablets was written God's law and covenant. Moses' face radiated from being in God's presence, and through his meeting with God the people were blessed. 

To me, these verses are an amazing revelation. But, you might not take my word for it;  I am the worst of the worst.