Seeing the Look on God's Face
Reading this morning from Psalm 13:
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (13:1, NRSV)
As thought about this passage, one major idea hit me. I remember when my daughter was smaller and she was developing and changing rapidly every day. We didn't see it, necessarily, but the grandparents who'd visit would say, "Oh wow, you've changed so much."
We'd just think they were being nice. Encouraging us, letting us know we hadn't stunted her growth...yet.
Then after about 2 years we sat down and started putting pictures of her side by side. We were blown away. She didn't look like the same kid. It was as if we had pictures of 7 different children, lined up side by side, and they barely resembled each other.
Sad to say, we felt like we had forgotten something. Did we really know what our child looked like? Her smile? Her eyes? Things were moving so fast and we were so focused on the raising and nurturing that we missed the real, actual person growing in front of us.
David's fear is that God would forget about Him, and in forgetting about Him they would lose track of God's face. We could give His face all kinds of human emotions - saddness, joy, contentment - all things that God may feel toward us and about us. However, the most important thing that we can focus on is this:
To see someone's face is to know them, and to know that we are known by them and that the realities of our life in the present moment are seen by them.
We get desperate and impatient. We lose heart. We feel the distance of God. We can't see the expression on God's face and how He sees us or IF He sees us. Yet He does see us, even then, and with David we cry:
But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. (13:5, NRSV)
You may feel that God's face is turned from you today and that you are forgotten by Him. Take a deep breath, embrace the hurt and loneliness, and then realize that in this darkness there is a flicker of light. God's love is steadfast, staying through the storm and darkness and whispering hope in the middle of the night.
I've been through this, and what I've come to know is that the only way we can learn to trust God more is to be in a place where we have to trust Him blindly.
Father, help us to see your face by remembering your love and knowing that though we feel lost we are constantly found by You.