Let the Peoples Praise You, O God

This meditation is based on a passage for February 20, 2011 in the Daily Lectionary Year 1 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).

Text: Psalm 67

Reflection and Question: “Let all the peoples praise you!” is the repeated refrain of this hymn of praise. There is no reference here to Israel or Judah or the tribes or the enslavement in Egypt or miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. There are the peoples, nations and God’s “saving power among all nations” and “all the ends of the earth.” The poet does not require that the people of the earth know that God is blessing us with bounty or being gracious to us or judging us with equity. The psalmist does implore us to be glad, to sing for joy and to revere the source of all that is good. How do you praise God?