Bridges & Intersections

Ps 80 is a lament psalm. God used this psalm and ushered me into a deeper understanding of the shining face of God. The psalm repeated this verse three times,

“O God, restore us and cause your face to shine upon us and we will be saved.” (80:3, 7, 19)

I wrestled how any face saved anyone. The narrative of the text implied real danger from enemies and required literal, not figurative, help. More importantly, the psalter was truly convinced of this “shining face” in having said that “[My enemies] perish at the rebuke of [God’s] face.” (80:16b) During this devotional, I remembered the Aaronic blessing that have the same language, “The LORD make His face shine on you.” (Num 6:25a). I also remembered the declaration of God’s nature as 1 John said that “He is light” (1 Jn 1:5a). I felt that God was showing me a connection between these verses.

I learned that God’s attention and focus, God Himself, was my help. Although one’s face is one part of a person’s physical composition, God is neither a person nor any created being. He is a spiritual being. It is possible that since a person’s face encapsulates his personhood, therefore, God’s face encapsulates His entire being. In other words, God’s attentiveness is synonymous with the full presence of God.

The day I was contemplating on this psalm ended profoundly and etched the lesson further deeper into my soul. Another professor ended that night’s lesson by sharing his testimony as to how God restored him when he is battling discouragement in that he received the “divine gaze” and basked in the face of God. This idea continues to linger in my mind as regards the profound implications of the shining face of God. To this day, this psalm, the Aaronic blessing and the reality of God’s nature as light continue to reverberate in my soul.