Restore us, LORD God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. Psalm 80:19 (NIV)
The face of God. What a beautiful face it must be – full of love, compassion, mercy and grace. A face that looks with love upon His chosen people.
Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46 NKJV) because He was forsaken, abandoned and God had to turn His face away. To forsake is to walk away from, leave behind, and leave alone. Jesus became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), therefore because of God’s holiness, He had to turn His face away on His Son while He hung on that cross.
Thinking of that moment when the Father of the Son, had to look away brings me deep anguish. The pain each had, the suffering each felt and the love between the two to accomplish redemption for us – sinful mankind, is overwhelming.
To look upon the face of God in the Old Testament was a death sentence and men trembled at the thought. Moses could not look upon the face of God when he audaciously asked to have God show him His glory.
But God did.
In Exodus 33:18-34:9 we see this interchange of servant of God and God, Glory of God and worshiper. Holiness of God and mankind wrapped in sin.
In mercy God passed by in all His glory to allow Moses to hear His voice calling out His name – “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.”
To be near God in all His goodness and to hear Him speak of Himself must have caused Moses to just be in awe. Overwhelmed with worship and undone by this demonstration of God’s love.
God did not literally shine His face upon Moses, but He did shine His goodness. Oh, how glorious.
Can this be for today? Can we ask God to show us His glory? Can we expect God to answer as He did Moses? Yes, I believe so. God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8); we can be bold and ask God to show us His glory. And His face.
When Jesus was on earth, mankind did see His face. They beheld the Saviour of the world every single day He was here. Not many recognized Him for who He was, but for those who did, they were blessed beyond measure. They were never the same again.
The 10 lepers who were healed. The one returning and acknowledging Jesus as the Healer. Jairus, the synagogue ruler of Capernaum, on his knees before Jesus begging to have Jesus come heal his daughter, then to be interrupted on the way by a woman. An unclean woman, at that. A woman who dared to defy the Mosaic laws and in her uncleanness be in the presence of the Messiah, seeing the face of God??? Unheard of. And yet, she was accepted and Jesus did look at her.
She was behind Him when she made her bold move – she grabbed the tsit tsit of His garment knowing and believing she would be healed. And she was. Hoping to go away unnoticed; but Jesus knew power went out of Him. He then shone His face upon her.
That look of love and compassion between Saviour and the faith-filled-believing-healed worshiper of Jesus. Jesus did not have to turn around, but He did. He did not have to shine His face upon her, but He took the time out of His mission to heal Jairus’s daughter to show His face to a woman in desperate need of His glory (see this story in Mark 5:21-43).
Very much like today. God is near. He does indeed shine His face upon us.
How?
Through the Spirit living inside us (for those of us who know Jesus as Lord and Saviour). Reading Scripture shows us the Father’s face. It shows us His glory, His goodness, His love and mercy. His grace. He does not look away from us – instead His face is ever on us - on me, on you. And His gaze never leaves us and we are never alone.
PRAYER
Father God, You are amazing. You shine Your face because You love me and I can indeed see You. You are beautiful, worthy and lovely to look upon. Thank You for not turning Your face away. Thank You for demonstrating true love to me. May I completely embrace this love today and the rest of my days in complete humility and worship. In the name of Your Son, Jesus. AMEN