Psalm 67:1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.

My children want me with them at all times. In our back yard is a trampoline and I am asked many times a day to jump on it. My children can jump on it with or without me, but jumping is at its best when I am with them. Our job, school, home, money, talents, time, personality are blessings and they are what they are. If they stand alone they are bearable, something to do, something to think about, but these blessings are at their best when God is “jumping with us.” 

The third request is acknowledging and asking that God jump with us in life because living is at it’s best when God is not watching but participating in our lives.

a.     Shine– The third request is asking God to cause his face to shine upon us. Not like the closest of our stars, which is bright yet far. The request is to shine among us. Those He bestows mercy upon He also blesses; those who are blessed refuse to make His blessing their prize. We do not live for the blessing. We live unto God and this third request reminds us that a blessing is not even a close substitute for the presence of God in our lives. Many years after this Psalm was written Jesus would come as God in the flesh and dwell among us. He is Emmanuel, God with us. God is with us because God is for us and when God is for us we go into the world for Him! Today, ask God to be with you in the blessings of life. My trampoline is not at it’s best unless I’m on it with my children. Our things are not at their best unless God’s presence is there.