Psalm 67 asks God for mercy, blessing and the light of His face — and then it says why: that His way may be known upon earth, and His saving health among all nations. The prayer of the church has to be that wide.
Psalm 67:1-2 — God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
True health and happiness can only come from God, the Creator of the universe and the source of all blessings. The writer begins this passage of Scripture by asking God to be merciful unto us and bless us.
A prayer that leaves nobody out
Including everyone in our prayer is a good, healthy and caring habit. It brings people together and spreads peace. It reminds us of the way Christ extends His mercy and love to all people in the world without partiality. It shows us how to care for friends, strangers, and even our enemies with genuine love.
In 1 Timothy 2:1 we are admonished to pray for all people.
1 Timothy 2:1 — I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.
Three petitions, and then a reasonThe psalm does not stop at asking. It goes straight on to say what the mercy and the blessing are for.
"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us." This is a heartfelt prayer for all believers to pray in these last days of earth's history.
Humanity is completely broken, and only God the Creator has the power and ability to restore us. His healing and restorative virtues must permeate the hearts of humanity.
His way, and His saving health
The way of the Lord is righteous — He is righteous in all His ways.
Psalm 145:17 — The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
And His saving health is the Everlasting Gospel.
Known upon earth, among all nationsThe reach of the verse is the whole point of it. Not one people, and not one place.
The love, mercy and forgiveness of God is the foundation of healing and restoration for all people.
Christ is the living message of God who brings healing for the nations. His life, death, and resurrection are the foundation of the Everlasting Gospel. He shows God's love, His saving grace and healing virtues in physical, social and spiritual ways.
The gospel is the healing
When the Everlasting Gospel is preached in God's way, it brings healing, because it is a destroying power against all evils. Its pardoning and cleansing power removes all the guilt of penitent sinners, and cleanses them from the infection of sin.
It fills the soul with delight, with holiness, and peace, replacing the troubled mind with the mind of Christ. This is the way of God and His saving health that is to be known on earth, and His saving health that restores and redeems people from all nations.
The means God usesHe sent His word. The healing and the deliverance came the same way.
The prayer must be as wide as the world
This must be the prayer of all God's people — the prayer of the whole church and of all small groups: "God be merciful unto us," and "bless us;" and cause "his face to shine upon us;" that "thy way may be known upon earth," thy "saving health" among all nations.
The prayer of the living Church of God must be global, inclusive and effective to break the strongholds of sin and evil habits in every place. The prayers of intercession must have a global reach, embracing the whole world, bringing healing and deliverance.
"That thy way may be known upon earth." Ignorance of God is the great curse of mankind, and this gospel of health and redemption must reach to every man, woman, boy and girl.
God has a special way of healing and restoring.
Psalm 107:20 — He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
As universal as the light of noonday
This is the great need of all nations, but many people do not know it, and many do not desire it, while others do not know how to seek it. The prayer and interest of God's Church must be that the knowledge of salvation may become as universal as the light of noonday.
For this we must now pray:
Psalm 67:1-2 — God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
Pray it; sing it; practise it; preach and teach it to all people. Amen.
More in this section: The Temple You Live In takes up 3 John 1:2 and the body God owns, and Ministry of Healing sets out what actually contributes to good health — cheerfulness, fresh air, exercise, diet, and the company we keep. The whole section is at Ministry of Healing.
This article names the Everlasting Gospel as God's saving health. The Everlasting Gospel sets out that message from Revelation 14 and the hour of God's judgment, and Getting to Know Jesus takes up Philippians 3:10 and knowing personally the Christ this healing comes from.
If this study has raised something you would like to talk through, the team reads every message: ask a Bible question. And since the article is a call to intercede for all people, you are welcome to send a prayer request — or to name someone else in one.
First published at https://timeisathandlive.org/ministry-of-healing/saving-health-for-all-nations — Time Is At Hand Evangelistic Ministries. The rest of the Ministry of Healing section — health, healing and the whole person — is on the ministry's own site, along with the full library of Bible studies at timeisathandlive.org.
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