Chuck Larsen

Psalm 67 is often referred to as a “Missionary Psalm” because it carries a global heartbeat. It refuses to settle for a faith that is private or self-centered. Instead, it cries out for the salvation of the entire world. It begins with a prayer for God’s blessing on “us,” the people of God, but not for selfish gain. The blessing sought here has a purpose beyond personal comfort or prosperity. The Psalmist writes, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah…” Then he tells us why we should desire such blessing: “that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.” God blesses His people so that others may see His goodness and be drawn to Him. This echoes the priestly blessing that Aaron declared over Israel in Numbers chapter six as they prepared to enter the land: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” The blessing of God is never meant to end with the receiver—it is meant to flow through them to the world.

James Montgomery Boice offers a beautiful explanation of this shining blessing. He says, “A shining face is the opposite of an angry or scowling face, and a face turned toward someone is the opposite of a face turned away in indifference or disgust.” Aaron spoke this blessing over a people who were surrounded by unbelieving nations. They were called to shine with the light of God’s presence. Boice adds, “A shining face implies favor, the favor of the one whose face is shining, and it implies the friendliness of warm personal relationships too.” God’s blessing is characterized by His smile—His favor, His nearness, His grace. When His face shines upon His people, they become a living testimony of His goodness. In this way, the blessing of God on His people becomes a blessing to the nations around them. They see a people who walk in peace, hope, purpose, and joyful confidence, and they are drawn to the God behind such blessing.

The real longing of this Psalm is not for material blessings but for a deep, radiant relationship with God—one so authentic that it draws others to Him. Physical blessings fade, but a life marked by God’s presence is compelling. What attracts the world is not wealth, success, or status; it is a heart that knows and reflects God. Jeremiah spoke to this truth: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.” May the Lord make His face shine upon you—and through you—onto everyone you meet today.

Psalm 66, verse 18 is a well-known and deeply searching verse. It reveals why our prayers sometimes seem to bounce off an iron sky. The Psalmist praises God for hearing and answering his prayer, but before celebrating he pauses to examine his own heart: “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Hidden sin blocks communion with God. It distorts our motives, hardens our conscience, and closes our ears to His voice. But the Psalmist continues with hope and joy: “But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” God does hear. He does answer. Yet He calls us first to examine the condition of our hearts.

One essential requirement for entering into the presence of God is purity of heart. Christianity has always been a matter of the heart. External actions mean nothing without inward truth. Psalm 24 asks, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?” The answer is clear: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” The apostle Paul echoed this foundational truth as he instructed his young disciple Timothy. He wrote, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” Later he exhorts him again, saying, “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” Purity is not simply the absence of sin—it is the presence of God’s transforming grace shaping thoughts, desires, and motives. Peter echoes the same call: “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” The heart is the center of our spiritual life, and purity is its lifeblood.

Max Lucado offers a bold reminder of this truth: “Real change is an inside job. You might alter things a day or two with money and systems, but the heart of the matter is and always will be the matter of the heart. Allow me to get specific. Our problem is sin. Not finances. Not budgets.… Our problem is sin. We are in rebellion against our Creator. We are separated from our Father. We are cut off from the source of life. A new president or policy will not fix that. It can only be solved by God. That is why the Bible uses drastic terms like conversion, repentance, and lost and found. Society may renovate, but only God re-creates.” The only way to experience answered prayer, genuine transformation, and intimate fellowship with God is to bring Him not just our words, but our hearts. He alone can purify them, and when He does, heaven opens. We can be born again through faith in Christ.

In David’s prayer for protection in Psalm 64, he uses a striking phrase that reveals a profound spiritual truth about every human being: “For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep!” Beneath the surface of our lives, beyond the mask we present to the world, lies a heart full of hidden thoughts, desires, and motivations. Jeremiah 17:9 speaks plainly: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jesus affirmed this difficult truth when He explained that sin is not just a matter of outward behavior. It is rooted deep within. He said, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” The problem of sin is not external—it is internal. Our actions simply expose what already lives in our hearts.

Consider the simple apple. How does a worm get inside it? Many would assume the worm burrows in from the outside, but scientists tell a different story. An insect lays an egg in the apple blossom long before the fruit grows. Eventually, the worm hatches inside the apple and eats its way out. The corruption starts at the core. In the same way, sin begins in the heart before it ever becomes visible in our words or deeds. We are not sinners because we sin—we sin because we are sinners. The problem lies deep within us, and no amount of external effort, rituals, or good intentions can cure a diseased heart. What we need is not a spiritual makeover but a spiritual miracle.

That miracle is promised in the New Covenant. God does not merely treat the symptoms of sin—He goes straight to the source. In Ezekiel 36:26–27 He declares, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” Only God can transform the human heart. David understood this. When he was confronted with his own sin, he did not make excuses or blame others. He prayed earnestly, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” He knew the issue was not merely his behavior—it was his heart. And that is where God still begins His work today—in the deepest part of us, where only He can see and only He can heal.

In own words, this is what Psalm 63 brings to mind. I often find myself wandering in a spiritual desert, a barren “wasteland” while indulging in everything this world claims will satisfy. I chase after pleasure, possessions, and prestige, believing each new experience will bring fulfillment. Yet the truth is painfully familiar: every time I secure another thrill, a shinier toy, or a higher position, I am still hungry. The world can feed my senses, but it never feeds my soul. There remains within me an ache nothing on earth can quiet. I may laugh, celebrate, and appear content on the outside, yet a whisper inside keeps reminding me that something essential is still missing. I am hungry for love, hungry for purpose, hungry for truth—hungry through and through.

Then, weary from wandering in circles, I turn to God. I step inside a place of worship with other believers, and something begins to change. As voices rise in praise, my heart awakens. As I listen to the Word of God proclaimed, I begin to think seriously, deeply, about what He has to say to me personally. I find myself opening up to His voice, letting His truth seep into the dry cracks of my soul. And suddenly, that dull ache inside—the hunger I could never satisfy with all the world’s offerings—begins to fade. But fade is too mild a word. Those pains of hunger do not just diminish; they disappear. The experience is rich, nourishing, overwhelming. It is like eating “my fill of prime rib and gravy. I smack my lips!” The Psalmist captured that feeling long before I ever lived it—God does not just feed me; He fills me. He satisfies me more deeply than I imagined possible.

He invites me not merely to taste, but to feast—fully, freely, and daily. “Dine on Him,” for nothing else will do. The soul was not designed to thrive on temporary thrills or shallow applause; it was made for God. In a world that leaves countless lives scorched by disappointment and thirsting for meaning, He remains the only true source of satisfaction. In a parched and weary land where hearts wander in search of something real, He offers living water for every thirst and the bread of life for every hunger. He does not ration His goodness. He gives abundantly, generously, joyfully. So come hungry, come thirsty—but do not go elsewhere. Come to Him. He will satisfy your soul as nothing else ever can.

Daily life is full of unexpected dangers. We wake up each morning never fully knowing what trials, temptations, or troubles may come our way. The psalmist understood this reality well, yet he found security—not in circumstances—but in God. In Psalm 61 he sings, “Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!” That beautiful image paints God as a place of safety, protection, and peace. When fear rose, he didn’t run to people—he ran to God. When uncertainty threatened his heart, he found stability by staying close to the One who never changes. He learned a powerful truth: peace is not found in the absence of danger—but in the presence of God.

Jesus used that same image when He looked over Jerusalem with a broken heart. He cried out, “How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings—but you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34). What a picture of divine love! Jesus wants to protect, shelter, and care for us—but many still refuse His invitation. The tragedy then—and now—is that people choose fear over faith, independence over surrender, and danger over divine protection.

More than a thousand years after David, a man named William Cushing discovered the comfort of God’s wings in his own life. Cushing had been a pastor, but illness stole his voice and with it, his ministry. Discouraged and broken, he cried out to God—and God answered in an unexpected way. Though he could no longer preach, God gave him the gift of writing. Cushing went on to write over 300 gospel hymns that have encouraged believers for more than a century. One of his best-loved hymns echoes the psalmist’s cry:

Under His wings I am safely abiding;
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him—I know He will keep me;
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort and there I am blest.

Under His wings, O what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me;
Resting in Jesus I’m safe evermore.

God sometimes allows His people to experience deep struggle and painful seasons of defeat. There are moments in life when the enemy seems to be winning—when circumstances turn against us, prayers seem unanswered, and hope grows thin. Even Israel, God’s chosen nation, went through times when their enemies triumphed over them. But those moments were never the end of the story. God always had a plan. Just when everything seemed lost—at the very last moment—He would step in with power and rescue. Psalm 60 describes it this way: “Then you planted a flag to rally your people, an unfurled flag to look to for courage.” When God raises His banner, strength returns, courage rises, and victory begins. It’s God’s way of saying, “Hold on—I’m still here.”

Like the sound of cavalry trumpets in old westerns, God charges into battle right on time. Not only does He rescue His people, but He also regains lost ground and reverses the tide of defeat. He turns retreat into advance and despair into triumph. That is why we must resist the temptation to look for help in the wrong places. Psalm 60 reminds us not to trust human strength, political power, or our own plans. When the battle is fiercest and everything inside of us wants to panic, that’s when we must do the opposite—trust God more, not less. He knows exactly what He’s doing, and He will never abandon those who trust in Him.

So when people fail you—trust God. When circumstances fall apart—trust God. When life feels like a losing battle—trust God. Keep your ear open for the trumpet of His deliverance. Keep your eyes lifted for the banner of His love and power. It will come—just in time. Victory may not come early, but it will always come at the right moment—His moment. And when He appears, He doesn’t stand back and observe—He steps forward and leads the charge Himself. He looks us straight in the eye and asks, “Who will take me to the thick of the fight?” God is not afraid of the battlefield—He enters it. And when He does, victory is sure.

So don’t give up. Don’t run. Don’t try to fight alone. Stand still—and watch for God’s banner. The battle belongs to Him!