The Face of God

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. ‘So shall they put My name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.’"—Numbers 6:24-27

I love my kids. They are one of God’s amazing gifts to me. I delight in seeing and giving them a hug every morning and a kiss when they go to bed at night. My youngest child, a boy, is still in his crib. I absolutely love it when I hear him wake up in the morning. I can hear him pushing his crib up against the wall, letting me know that he wants out. I make my way to his room and open the door to see his bright shining face staring back at me.

Attunement is the term psychologists use to describe the moment when a child looks up from a crib and notices a face looking back at them. The term means “bring into harmony.” For the first time, they know that someone is paying attention to them—they are, in essence, in tune with them.

Everyone of us knows the importance of getting attention. Children are much more obvious in their expression of it. They will do almost anything to get the attention of their parents—good or bad—they simply want to know that someone is paying attention to them. Someone values them enough to notice and respond to them in a meaningful and valuable way.

When we grow up to be adults, we still have that desire to be paid attention to, and there is not a person I know who says that they enjoy being ignored. We want to be validated, to have someone pay attention to us, to let us know that we are loved and valued. The simple expression of this is seen through the face. My children are constantly saying, “Daddy! Look at me! Look at me! Look at what I’m doing!” If I simply say, “Yes, honey. I know, that’s nice,” and don’t turn my face away from my computer, then they know that they haven’t really received my attention. What I need to do is to stop, turn away from my computer, and look straight at them, watching everything that they are doing. That is the moment they feel as if they have received my attention. Why? Because my face is upon them. When my face is upon them, they feel loved and cared for.

In Numbers 6, we read about what is commonly known as the Aaronic blessing. It is the blessing with which Aaron, the first priest in Israel’s history, was to bless the people. And what did he say? He said, “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face to shine upon you…” It’s fascinating to note that He talks about God’s face. God instructed him to bless in such a way because He knew the importance of us needing to see the face of God. It’s not that we literally see His face, but that God pays full attention to us. He cares for us intimately, in a greater way than any earthly parent could ever show.

In the New Testament, we read that God’s supreme act of love toward us was shown in Christ. God paid so much attention to our plight that He sent His Son Jesus to save us from our sins—give us purpose, direction, and a reason for living.

As we go through our daily lives, we feel isolated, lonely, and at times, completely abandoned. It is at moments like these that we must remember: God’s face shines upon us. He pays attention to us, He loves us, and He intimately cares for us in the midst of our trials, troubles, tribulations, and tragedies. He loves us in the midst of our pain and problems.

Where are you now, beloved? Do you feel as if you are alone? Do you feel abandoned? Know that God’s face shines upon you! He shows it through His Son who is ready to receive all who come to Him in repentance and faith! Come to Him in humble adoration, broken and contrite, knowing that He will wipe away all of your tears and will give you more than you could ever ask or imagine—which is, Himself. And know that He will never leave you, nor forsake you, but will comfort and care for you in ways you can’t imagine. Amen.