It is incredible that the writer of Psalm 67 invites (or commands) the people and nations of the world to praise God.
Psalm 67:3-5 NKJV
“[3] Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. [4] Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations on earth. Selah [5] Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.”
God loves the inhabitants of the earth (every nation, tribe and people), and wants a relationship with them. Despite our sins and rebellion, God daily demonstrates His love by showering His goodness and blessings on all humanity, whether saved or unsaved.
Acts 14:17 TPT
“Yet he has never left himself without clear evidence of his goodness. For he blesses us with rain from heaven and seasons of fruitful harvests, and he nourishes us with food to meet our needs. He satisfies our lives…”
The knowledge of this alone should motivate and inspire everyone to praise and worship God; unfortunately, this is not the case because of sin, which distanced and separated us from God. To rectify this, God further demonstrated His love for humanity by sacrificing His Son Jesus Christ as a ransom for sin; in order to restore and reconcile us to Himself and make us partakers of His Kingdom.
After His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ, the perfect mediator and ultimate demonstration of God’s love for humanity, sent us out to all the nations of the earth, every tribe and tongue with this Good News; which if believed and received in repentance, results in joy, praise and worship to God.
THE ORANGO TRIBE
Tonight, I watched a very interesting documentary about the Orango, one of the tribal groups of Guinea Bissau in West Africa. They live on one of Bissau’s many islands, and have well preserved their ancestral culture and traditions. They are a matriarchy in which women run the economy, the law and family, and are considered as the force which drives life and spirituality.
The Orangos are animists; they believe in the existence of a Supreme Being, Nindo, who is God and Creator, but is distant and cannot help humans. They believe, however, that there is an intermediary force that unites all living creatures and rules man’s destiny; this force consists of their dead ancestors and the ‘protective’ gods who inhabit nature. They could relate with these ancestral spirits and gods and were devoted to them in worship.
My heart ached as I watched the documentary! I instantly knew that the Supreme Being that they believed in is our God Yahweh, the Creator; yet, they knew Him from a distance, were afraid of Him and considered Him as unapproachable and unhelpful. Sadly, their chosen intermediaries are mere replacements and unacceptable to Yahweh!
Again, my heart ached as I thought, “How can we get the Good News to them that the Supreme Being that they believe in has given us an acceptable mediator, through whom He has reconciled us to Himself – His Son Jesus Christ. What joy would it give them to know that God loves humanity and gave His Son Jesus as a ransom for us?
This confirmed my belief that the call of Holy Spirit for the nations to praise God is call to the Church to rise up and share the Good News. I began to think, what would be the cost, to take the Good New of the love of God, salvation and reconciliation through Jesus Christ, to this isolated tribal group?
Psalm 67:2-4 TPT
“[2] Send us out all over the world so that everyone everywhere will discover your ways and know who you are and see your power to save. [3] Let all the nations burst forth with praise; let everyone everywhere love and enjoy you! [4] Then how glad the nations will be when you are their King. They will sing, they will shout, for you give true justice to the people. Yes! You, Lord, are the shepherd of the nations!”
For Further Reading: Psalm 67; Matthew 5:45; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Acts17:22-23
Fulfilling Our Theme For 2024: “Building The Highway And Lifting The Banner”
“And in that day, there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him…. (therefore) Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway! Take out the stones, lift up a banner for the peoples!” [Isaiah 11:10, Isaiah 62:10]
Women In Tune | QUIVER | Cedars House Christian (International)