God’s Face

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles…Psalm 105:4-5

Last Sunday morning, Doug and I were with my granddaughters, Eliana and Amalia, thirteen and ten, and we sat down to read the message from a daily devotional. 

May your strength equal your days.The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. --Deuteronomy 33:25-27

We all desire strength to match our days, God’s protection, and the security of the living God whose arms are always ready to catch us when we fall.  

The problem is, we often start thinking, “I got this,” and we forget the Lord. We might think He isn’t interested in our everyday lives or that He’s too busy for our meager concerns, but these are lies. Truth is, we can't do this on our own, so God’s Word teaches us to rely on Him, the source of all strength, and to seek His face, always-- Not just when the going gets tough.

So, why His face? 

When a child is born, the first thing he learns to recognize is his mother’s face. He certainly can’t comprehend all her features, her personality or thoughts. He simply tunes into her voice and from the earliest days on the planet he searches for her smiling face. 

From birth it is evident that we are programmed to receive love, even in our most helpless state. We can’t talk or feed ourselves. We can barely move, yet we are responsive to and dependent upon this essential relationship.

So we turn to the face of our mothers. We trust her and need and want her more than anyone else. We experience her faithful nourishing and care. Her deeds prove her love and trustworthiness.

When we cry in the night, it is her voice and the expectancy that her face will soon appear, that keeps everything right in the world.  And so it should be with God, the Inventor of the entire human life process, who made us in his image.  

In His image. Our lives were patterned after His, and everything we are and do and feel mirrors our Creator. 

Science also shows that infants who are deprived of close contact with their mother suffer greatly in their development. Neglect takes a devastating toll on the children who never see their mother’s face or know the comfort of her smile. 

A toddler’s art reveals focus

Have you ever noticed that children usually draw people like giant potatoes or pancakes with eyes? The hands stick straight out of the head where the ears should be, and the long legs come straight out of the chin! 

As the artwork and these photos of me welcoming my ninth grandchild illustrate, let's face it, a child’s perception of a person is nothing but a giant face! As they grow, they add details, long strings of black or blonde hair, tarantula eye lashes, and a smile. Isn’t it adorable?

The toddlers' art illustrates the fact that we start out this life focused on the face of the one who gave us birth.

We understand little else but that this one loves us, smiles, coos and sings, nourishes, and keeps us warm. Over time, we fill in the details. Initially, all I understand is that I am safe and content in this love.

In the same way, from the moment we open our eyes of faith, we see only the forgiving acceptance and love of our Creator. Then we begin to grow as spiritual children.

Our first prayer is usually a confession of our need, like an infant's cry. Gradually we become aware that we are surrounded by His welcoming, loving presence, and we learn to interact and speak with Him. Communication evolves and deepens more and more with age.

We begin this new life simply discovering that God IS. Then we take our first baby steps of faith. Over time we add to our understanding of his features, his characteristics of faithfulness and mercy. Theology comes later, when we cut our spiritual teeth and begin to digest real food!

Look at me!

When I asked my girls, what does it mean to “seek the face of God always”? They looked at me blankly.

“Well, what would the opposite look like?" I tried.  Suppose whenever you talked to your mom or dad they didn’t look at you? Suppose they just turned their backs and kept doing what they were doing?” 

“That would be hurtful.” 

The message was loud and clear. Any of us would be devastated if someone we loved never looked at us. From the earliest ages a child is calling, Daddy, Mommy, look at me!  It seems every couple of seconds, a child begs for attention.  Look at me now! See what I'm doing! 

We are all born with a desire to be seen and known, affirmed and approved. When these needs aren’t met, we seek it elsewhere. Sometimes, even by harming ourselves and others. Addictions, cutting, violence and promiscuity are just a few of the ways we act out from the unmet needs for love.

I remembered a strained relationship on the mission field years ago. Whenever we walked into this home, the wife wouldn’t look at me. She would bustle about in the kitchen, and look at her husband when she talked. I had the distinct impression that she didn’t like me, must be offended, and had just been bad-mouthing me. It felt wrong, phony, even dishonest, but she would never admit it--a difficult and dissatisfying relationship to say the least. 

It’s an unspoken truth that even my youngest grandchild knows. When people LIKE you and CARE about you, they look at you! Right? They turn to face you and listen when you talk. In fact, when someone truly LOVES you, they can’t stop looking at you! 

A relationship worth having

Heavenly Father wants to hold your face and whisper his truth to you, but He never forces you into the conversation. He bids us to seek His face! It’s an invitation to spend time with Him. If there is an offense blocking the relationship, admit it. Clear the air. Don’t wait for the end of life. Don’t wait until you’re drowning. Your Father is much more than a life boat. He loves you!

When we have a trusting connection with honesty, openness, and a personal interest, we are face to face. Seeking God’s face implies a desire for this type of genuine, open, and trusting relationship. This is what the Bible calls us into. It's the only relationship worth having, isn’t it?

With such a genuine connection to God, like a child resting in his mother's arms, we receive all that we need.  As the verses above and following mention:  strength, guidance, goodness, blessing, grace, and peace are ours in the light of God’s face.

When is the last time you sought a face to face with your Heavenly Father?

Make Your face shine upon me, and teach me...  –Psalm 119:135

"Who will show us any good?" Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD!” –Psalm 4:6  

  God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah. –Psalm 67:1

The LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.'  –Numbers 6:25-26

Thoughts on Intolerance and a Divided Nation

Have you been wondering what's wrong with America these days? 

Diversity is part of life

I have many friends around the world, and of course we have a variety of views and beliefs. There are housewives and refugees, scientists and businessmen, pastors and non-profit workers, Jewish and Muslim, young and old... I hope that we can all share our thoughts and passions without forfeiting respect and grace. 

Don’t talk?

I remember my father and mother saying, “You can’t talk about religion or politics.” Was that their secret to keeping civil family relations for so many years? 

I remember our huge Italian-Welsh family gatherings and no one arguing about anything! At last count I had 22 cousins running around, and there was nothing but laughter and old stories and joyful times around the tables covered with lasagna. Okay, there was one uncle who complained a lot, but we just laughed it off. He would say things like, "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded!" 

Failing education and process

So why CAN’T we share our thoughts in a polite and respectful manner? Why isn’t it considered healthy and intellectually honest, even in our highly esteemed higher ed institutions, to entertain new ways of looking at things or ideas that challenge us? I’ve heard of Christian speakers banned from speaking in Berkeley for example. Why don’t they value the healthy exchange of views anymore? Why don’t we trust these high caliber students to listen and learn, even debate, and make up their own minds about what they believe and more importantly, why?

Freedom of speech and religion are undermined where universities ban speakers because of their personal political or religious views. Our universities will become mere political tools to duplicate whatever party alliances they profess, rather than a place to receive the tools to tackle life’s challenges and contribute to a better future.  

Students pay a high price for a name on their diploma. But this is indoctrination rather than education. 

This isn’t Ivy League. It’s Poison Ivy! 

Essential skills

How can we consider ourselves educated without these essential skills? The ability to evaluate and postulate and debate our views is necessary in this world if anything is to be improved. Otherwise, we are just reduced to fighting. This increasing violence as we see in the news now--even in our places of worship--is counter productive and costly to society. 

National division

Earlier in this last century, America had her share of battles, and our fathers lined up in droves to lie about their age for the right to fight in two World Wars. My own father was one of them, and counted it a privilege to fight against the threat of Hitler or Japan after bombing Pearl Harbor. Back then, our common enemies united us in patriotic acts of heroism and bravery. 

The last time I remember our country being this divided may have been during the Viet Nam War. Hippies rebelled against a draft call to die for a war we didn’t believe in. There were demonstrations, Kent State shootings, and flags burning in the streets. 

Since the nation's birth, nothing divided us and cost more than the war on slavery in 1861. President Lincoln was in anguish seeing us destroy one another in the effort to free slaves. 

That Civil War cost more lives than both World Wars, Korea and Viet Nam combined!  Over the four years, 625,000 men died from amputations, over-crowded prisons, and in battle. American lives lost by other Americans. 

Back then it was the blue and the gray. Yankees and Rebels. North and South. 

Today’s battle

Now it is party against party. Republicans and Democrats. Red and blue. Pro life and pro choice. 

We are in a war of ideals and the fight for our freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. We who still believe in God are not willing to sacrifice our freedom of religion, speech, or the right to bear arms. If we don’t have these things, we are no longer a free America. 

The same people who push an agenda for diversity want to change everyone else to share their particular beliefs. This is hypocrisy! You can’t have it both ways. You want me to accept and tolerate your views, but why can’t you demonstrate your values by accepting and tolerating mine?

We need to learn from our own history. 

The only perfect answer

The most important thing we could ever do or say, the most critical accomplishment on the planet is to love, and on that point we will all be judged. We all know you can be right, but lose the battle without love. God’s Word instructs us to speak the truth in love, both parts of equal importance. This works in families, communities, schools, and governments. 

Judgment

I am as passionate about my opinions as the next guy, but God help me if I ever take them to the extreme of hating the people who disagree. In the end, it’s really between them and God what they think, how they speak, and what they will do when they stand before Him. 

Due process

In the meantime, there is due process to govern our lives. We get to vote for example! And those who win get to make their best efforts to lead. No matter what the outcome, we get to pray for the good of our country. In all these passing events and whatever happens, we who believe in GOD know He will continue to move us toward his final goals. 

In his heavenly kingdom there will not be separate entities of gender, ethnic background, language or any political barrier to divide us. There will finally be complete unity in the presence of God. We will be One just as Jesus prayed in John 17. This is the goal!  

Dear God, help us to live like it now. In all our speech and writing, in all that we do, our only obligation is to love God and our neighbor as ourselves.