Table of Contents
PRAYER
Our main goal in this time together is to build relationships and learn to walk alongside one another in all that God has called us to be and do. Let’s start by praying for each other.
Does anyone have prayer requests or personal stories of how God has been moving in your life that we can celebrate together?
A PRAYER FOR THE PSALMS AND HOPE
Self :: Family :: Community of Faith :: Neighborhood :: City :: Nation
THIS WEEK
Today, we conclude our series A Prayer For The Psalms and Hope, where we’ve been exploring the book of Psalms—not just to learn what to pray, but how to pray. The Psalms offer a raw, authentic, and passionate pursuit of God’s presence while revealing His heart for a world in need.
Over the past six weeks, we’ve walked this journey together, growing in prayer and seeking God’s Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Today’s message, A Prayer for the Nation, reflects on God’s desire for all peoples to turn to Him in faithful prayer. Long before modern national anthems, there was Psalm 67—a song of blessing, not for one nation alone, but for all nations to know the Giver of every good gift.
To start our time together, let’s begin with the following questions:
What’s your favorite song that brings you encouragement or hope?
What’s one way you’ve grown in your prayer life during this series?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
SCRIPTURE
Have someone read Psalm 67 aloud. As you listen, notice any words or phrases that stand out, and ask the Holy Spirit to highlight something for you.
Psalm 67
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2 that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
6 The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
7 God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
Why should we pray Psalm 67 for our nation?
The Point of Blessing
Psalm 67 challenges seeking God’s blessing without honoring Him, showing that His blessings flow through us to others.
Genesis 12:1-3 affirms this, as God’s promise to Abraham established His redemptive plan to bless all nations. From Abraham to Moses to Psalm 67, God’s blessing was never meant to stop with one nation but to make His name known among all.
The true blessing is this: that all people would know His saving power and life in Jesus.
What are some things people commonly put their trust or allegiance in besides God?
Why do you think finding value in those things/places leads to such divisiveness and polarization in our nation?
If someone looked at your life, what “anthem of allegiance” would they say you are singing?
What do your actions, priorities, or words say about what and who you value most?
What is one practical way you can bless God by blessing to others this week?
The Lifestyle of Blessing
Psalm 67 and 100 emphasize praising God and how it leads to an intimate relationship with God and His blessing of a nation and its people. When we become a people of praise, blessing God first, our nation can be filled with joy because our ways align with His. A lifestyle of blessing—marked by praise, thanks, and honor to God—invites His gracious judgment and guidance, rooted in fairness and justice, according to His standards, not our self-interested ones.
Why is praise central to a lifestyle of blessing God?
How do thanksgiving and praise shape how we experience God and share His blessings with others?
How do different cultures and societies attempt to define a “blessed nation”? How does that compare with how Scripture describes it?
In what ways do nations confuse their own causes with the cause of God? How have you seen this happen in America?
What idols can our nation repent from to live a lifestyle of blessing unto God intentionally?
How can you intentionally live a lifestyle of blessing beyond worldly idols?
The Way of Blessing
Psalm 67 shows that God’s blessing is meant for all nations. When a nation follows God’s way, they understand the true point, lifestyle, and way of blessing—Jesus.
This blessing flows from heaven to earth, not through human-driven ideologies, but through God’s grace. Like the priestly prayer of Moses and Aaron, Jesus teaches us to pray for God’s kingdom to be the true source of blessing, especially for those far from Him.
In John 17, as He prepares for His mission, Jesus prays for all nations to align with His anthem and allegiance in being one and doing the Father’s will, inviting all into a life of love, holiness, and mission with the Father.
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” —John 17:20-23
How would you say Scripture describes the relationship between the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit?
How does Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer in John 17 encourage you to think about your role in the world?
What does it look like for humans to reflect the kind of relationship and unity the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share with one another?
What makes achieving that kind of loving unity so difficult?
What are the barriers that make it difficult to believe and follow Jesus as the true way of blessing?
Where in your life do you struggle to live under the anthem and allegiance of Jesus alone?
CLOSING THOUGHT
As we conclude, Psalm 67 reminds us that true blessing comes from God’s grace, flowing from heaven to earth through Jesus, bringing life and salvation. It calls us to embrace praise, gratitude, and prayer as we align with God’s will and His mission for all nations. This blessing is meant to flow through us, inviting others into deeper relationship with Him.
As we pray for our nation and its people to embody this calling, we are urged to set aside divisive ideologies and idols, embracing the good news of God’s kingdom in Jesus as the true way of blessing. Let all nations bless God and reflect His love and mission, as Jesus prayed in John 17.
Let’s close in prayer, lifting up our nation, our families, and our lives to God, asking for His guidance, grace, and a renewed commitment to live out His blessing, bringing His light to all people in the name of Jesus, and Jesus alone.
Alvin Brown, the Lead Pastor of Mosaic Church Fort Worth, brings over a decade of pastoral ministry experience and more than 20 years of operational and technical leadership expertise. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications Management from DeVry University and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. He enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Mallary, and their three children and contributing as a writer to various media outlets.
