Face To Face
“May the LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26
Do you know why I love this Scripture especially this time of year? It doesn’t seem to be a Christmas Scripture, but it reminds me of God’s heart for us and the whole reason Jesus was born. God is not looking down on us with a disapproving shake of His head. He longs to look at us with all the love in His heart and that’s why Jesus came. Jesus came as a baby, as He grew He experienced all the pain and joy of being human and He went to the Cross so we can stand in the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father.
“May the LORD bless you and keep you”
Yahweh, the creator of everything wants to bless us. Think about all the things we want to get for those we love at Christmas, then times that by at least a qazillion. He wants to abundantly, fully and thoroughly bless us. Yes, He will provide all our needs but more than that He will give us love, mercy, grace, courage… All we need is, for whatever we need, is found in Him! He is the “I AM!”
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19
”And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” John 1:16
He will keep us safe. He holds us in the palm of His hand. He hides us in the cleft of the rock. He shelters us under His wing. He is with us wherever we go.
The only thing that can get us out from His protection is us: our choices, our disobedience, our stubbornness, our sin, our wanting to go our way ~ do it our way.
“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.” Psalm 5:11
”Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
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“The LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you”
Don’t you love the imagery here? It reminds of me stepping out into the bright sun and needing to squint it’s so bright. I feel the warmth and lift my face. I slowly open my eyes as I adjust to the brightness.
He longs to look at us face-to-face. He wants that kind of intimacy with us.
When I hear my grandkids I look for them, I turn towards them and my whole face smiles. I don’t hide from them. I don’t ignore them. It is with love and excitement that I greet them. God feels the same way about us. He hears us calling on His name in prayer or worship or desperation and He turns toward you, with all His glory. With all His graciousness. He is patient. He is kind. He is compassionate. He is generous. He is merciful. He is forgiving.
“Make Your face shine on your servant; save me in Your steadfast love!” Psalm 31:16
”The LORD is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness” Psalm 145:8
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“The LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
He turns His face towards us. We have God’s full attention! Just take a minute to let that sink in. He’s not distracted by the game on TV. He’s not texting while we are pouring our heart out to Him. That should change how we approach Him, how we look at spending time with Him. He is fully engaged, fully present with each of us. That’s where being Omnipresent (Being everywhere at all times) comes in handy, I guess.
“The LORD you God is in your midst, a mighty One who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Shalom - Peace - Completeness - Soundness.
What a great trade! As we are in God’s presence we trade confusion, doubt, fear… for peace. A peace that fills our souls and quiets our minds, knowing that God our provider, our protector, our healer, our friend is always with us.
”In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8
What a great and marvelous gift we have been given!
This is my prayer for each of us this week: “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Have the most amazing day!
All My Love ~
Jodi xo
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