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.
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!
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?”
“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!
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?
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
Labels: face of God, face to face, focus, knowing God, openness, relationship, seeking God, spiritual strength
posted by Karen Low Deloge at 8:21 PM
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