THE FACES OF GOD
Christine Wyrtzen
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. Psalm 17:15
People have many faces. Meeting a stranger, I can often tell a lot about them from an initial glance. Their face can be inviting, stoic, hard, relaxed, gentle, depending on their state of heart. Whether I’m aware of it or not, I read a total stranger’s face to know how to proceed with a conversation. If I can tell this much about someone I don’t know at all, how much more can I read about a person I know well? I often tell Ron, my husband, that I can tell what kind of day he had by the way he walk up the driveway. I realize writing this that I have a habit of looking at the faces of all my loved ones as they walk to the back door. Our home is full of windows and I can see past their demeanor before they even touch the door handle.
God has many faces as well. The Hebrew word for ‘face’ is not singular but plural. Interesting, isn’t it? And this word is found in so many places where the English word ‘face’ is absent. In today’s scripture, the word ‘face’ is really ‘faces’. How does that work? Well, whatever I need, there is a face to accompany it.
When I need a protector, God’s face is fierce. When I flirt with other first loves, His face is jealous. When I’m hurting, his face is tender. When I’ve lost my way, His face is strong. When enemies come against me, His face is angry. When I grieve, His face is streaked with tears.
Sometimes I will say that a certain person is complex. They are deep and have many sides to them. If this is so, how many are the faces of God! He is wild and unpredictable yet always driven by love and holiness. He cannot be second-guessed. Yet at the same time, I can depend on His love and goodness toward me.
Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” Translation? “He who has seen my faces has seen the Father.” Beautiful, isn’t it? And as an image bearer of my Father, the same is to be said about me. That is humbling enough to send me to my knees. Will the many faces I wear today, and the moods and thoughts behind them, lead others to experience the various faces of God? May it be by the power of God’s Spirit.
I love Your Word. The beauty of it, hidden in the Hebrew language, is a storehouse of golden nuggets. I crave to know and understand Your many faces. In Jesus' name, In Jesus' name, Amen
Originally published Friday, 27 July 2018.
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