If you just took the first and last verses of this psalm, you might consider it to be rather self-centred. May God bless us! May his face shine upon us! And some of the psalms are very Israel-focused, just as some of our worship can be rather us-focused. But the middle verses of this short psalm are quite remarkable. The psalmist prays that God may bless Israel so that all the nations of the world may join Israel in their praises. 

On Wednesday we read of the promise that the world will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, and this psalm utters a similar prayer. May all the peoples (vs 3,5), even the peoples of those enemies of Israel such as the Babylonians and Edomites, be brought to worship the one true God whose love covers the whole world. This is generous and hopeful praise!

I find that this psalm can challenge me to turn from my own small-minded prayers for myself or my church and to hold before God the hope that one day, from east to west and pole to pole, every person of every nation will turn and praise the God of Israel.