When I look at the state of this world, it is obvious that we are very far off from God. While I wish that the masses would submit to His design and directions, I often feel hopeless because I see how rebellious we really are.
When I’m overwhelmed, I turn to Scripture. Recently, a phrase caught me off guard in Psalm 65. In the middle of this beautiful psalm, he wrote that “all humanity will come to you.” What does that mean?
1 Praise is rightfully yours,
Psalm 65:1-4
God, in Zion;
vows to you will be fulfilled.
2 All humanity will come to you,
the one who hears prayer.
3 Iniquities overwhelm me;
only you can atone for our rebellions.
4 How happy is the one you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple.
As David begins this psalm of thanksgiving, he introduces a beneficial concept regarding worship. If praise belongs anywhere, it belongs to God. No one else is deserving of our worship. As we thank God for what He has done, it is truly fitting to do so. He has done so much for us that we ought to offer Him praise. He has been so faithful to us that we should fulfill the vows we have made to Him.
We believe that God is available to hear our prayers. While we pray for numerous concerns, David reminds us that we can pray for forgiveness. This stanza highlights the need for God’s forgiveness for our innumerable sins. All of humanity can come to Him in prayer. No matter how much someone has sinned, they can approach God. No matter how rebellious they have lived, they can pray.
In this passage, David writes that all humanity will come to God. That thought may sound surprising because even Jesus claimed that not everyone would be saved (Matt. 7:14).
What does David mean when he says that all humanity will come to God?
The Apostle Paul brought clarity when he wrote that every knee would bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:10-11). While we know that not every knee will voluntarily bow to Jesus, that does not mean all will not kneel one day. When Jesus returns, every knee will hit the ground, and every tongue will cry out.
Every person will volunteer to surrender to God in their lives or be forced to do that in the end.
All will see on that day that there is a God. All humanity will come to God in that way eventually.
You can either approach God now or be confronted by Him later. Which will you choose?
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
