Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! ‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’ ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’ (Ps. 27:7-8)
“I can’t wait to see his little face. We’re so excited to see this beautiful baby boy’s face.”
Recently one of my colleagues kept saying these words. She was going with her pregnant daughter to the doctor for an ultrasound. She couldn’t stop expressing her excitement to see her grandson’s face for the first time.
The author of the psalm above beckons us to seek the Lord’s face with the same kind of desire. The psalmist wants us to say, “I can’t wait to see the face of God.” If we had the same desire to see God’s face that this grandmother had to see her grandson’s face, I wonder if we would see more glimpses of God’s beautiful face.
Just how do we get those glimpses? One way is to look for traces of God’s face in others. Because we are all made in God’s image, our faces can give us a peek at God’s face.
When we intentionally look for a glimpse of God’s face in each other, our relationships change. It’s hard to ridicule or condemn someone else while trying to see God’s face in their face. It’s easier to love and share kindness while looking for God’s face in another. If we want to hold onto prejudice and contempt, we shouldn’t try this exercise.
One of the most challenging faces in which to see a glimpse of God’s face is in our own. When we look at our own face, we often see what we aren’t, what we should have done, or could have been. It can be hard to imagine receiving a glimpse of God’s face embedded in our own.
If I’m speaking to you, then I encourage you to say the following prayer: “Your face, Lord, do I seek. In my face, Lord, help me to see a glimpse of your face.”
After the visit to the doctor, the grandmother sent me a picture of her grandson. He’s in his mother’s belly. It looks like he’s smiling. He looks happy. Incredible.
When we catch a glimpse of God’s face in each other’s faces, and even in our own faces, we bring happiness to God.
Reflection Questions:
- If you looked for a glimpse of God’s face in the face of others, do you think your relationships would change? If so, how?
- If you looked for a glimpse of God’s face in your own, would you talk to and treat yourself any differently? Again, if so, how?
- Imagine you are standing before God. What do you see on God’s face? Joy or judgment? Love or dismay? Delight or disappointment? What would it take for you to see the joy, love, and delight that are actually there?