Faces matter.
Many of us go about our day intuitively reading the faces of those we encounter and then responding accordingly. We laugh at the way some people’s resting face can give such a different impression to what they are thinking. We scan people’s expressions as we share our presentation. Our heart rates quicken when the face of someone we admire turns towards us.
As much as we learn valuable information from reading people’s faces, we can also get it wrong, such as misjudging someone’s thinking face to be an angry one. And there’s one face we are particularly prone to misreading: the face of the Lord.
The Lord’s face – how it sometimes feels
Of course, the Lord does not have a face like us – he is Spirit (John 4:24). When Scripture speaks of God’s face, it is applying human characteristics to the Lord so we can understand him better. Biblical references to the face of God can vary in their meaning depending on the context, but most aim to reveal more about the Lord’s character and posture towards his image bearers.
Our tendency to misread his face comes when we begin to add layers to the Lord’s face that go beyond what Scripture tells us. Consider the following:
- Some of us might fear that the Lord’s face is full of frustrated disappointment when we mess up again, perhaps accompanied by an eye roll and a “Tut tut”.
- Some of us assume the Lord’s face is full of ‘divine tolerance’1 rather than love for us.
- Some of us might shrink back from looking at him lest his face bear a smirk of “I told you so.”
- Some of us might hesitate to ask him for help because his face will no doubt be annoyed by our weakness.
Such misreading can flow from two circumstances that often cloud our vision of the Lord’s face:
- Our suffering. As many Psalms attest, pain and sorrow can often obscure a believer’s sight of the Lord’s face, whether that’s suffering in the past or present. In particular, painful facial expressions we’ve experienced from fellow human beings can contribute to our misreading of the Lord’s face.
- Our sin. God never rejects his beloved children but there are moments when our sin mars our relationship with him. He does lovingly and wisely discipline us when we go astray (Hebrews 12:5-6). When that happens, we can sometimes imagine his face is unkind. We can assume his love has ceased. We can be fearful to return, even though he is full of mercy and always eager for us to come home.
The Lord’s face – how it really is
How does the Lord look upon us? The Lord’s face is never crestfallen when we mess up, or arrogant about our failures, or disgusted by our weakness. Scripture paints a much more beautiful portrait of the Lord’s face for those who are his children. For believers, we are told that:
- The Lord’s face is shining upon you (Numbers 6:24). Other parts of Scripture refer to this as the light of the Lord’s countenance being upon us (Psalm 4:6), which means the Lord is looking upon you, his child, with favour, approval and a desire to bless you.
- The Lord’s face is turned towards you and gives you peace (Numbers 6:26). It is turned towards you, not away in frustration or anger.
- The Lord’s eyes are upon you and his ears are open to your prayer (Psalm 34:15; 1 Peter 3:12). There may be moments when he chooses not to answer our prayers because our motivation is askew (James 4:3) – or times when he asks us to wait because that is what he knows to be best – but he still hears. His gaze is personal – he really does see you and hear your voice.
- The Lord is rejoicing over you (Zephaniah 3:17). When he looks at you, he is joyful and takes great delight in you!
We can ultimately have confidence that his face is full of love for us because Christ himself bore the frown of God’s wrath and endured the Father turning his face away so that we might delight in the warmth of his smile. The Lord’s approving gaze is forever, not just for a moment.
The Lord’s face – why it matters
Seeing and reading the Lord’s face rightly changes our relationship with him. A God whose face is uncaring, unmoved or merely tolerant of us is not a God we will turn to quickly in our time of need. A God whose face is frustrated, disappointed or annoyed with us is not a God we will run to in humble repentance when we’ve sinned.
But a God whose face is turned towards us in love? A God whose face is full of approval and even joy? That is a God whose face gives us hope in suffering and peace even in our ongoing struggle with sin.
Why not take a moment now to consider how you are experiencing the Lord’s face turned towards you, and perhaps chat about that with a friend?
1 A term borrowed from Kelly Kapic’s You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News.
