Today's Echo in My Head

In preparing for this weekend's gathering of the Springs, I was reading through one of our texts for the weekend - Numbers 6:22-27.

The LORD said to Moses,  “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 

“‘“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.”’

“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” 

One phrase has continued to echo in my mind - "turn his face toward you."  This verse is both haunting and comforting to me.  First, it's haunting because it seems to imply that his face is turned away from me and there is something that I can do to get him to "look at me" again.  Second, it's comforting because it seems to imply that his face is turned away from me and there is something I can do to get him to "look at me" again.

I think about all the things in my life that I've grown up doing...subconsciously hoping God would "turn his face toward" me - read my bible, sing songs, pray, share the gospel with others, be in a small group, go to church, don't drink, don't smoke or chew, or go with girls who do!  The list is goes on and on.  All done with the thought that God might look more favorably on me than he did before doing those things.  I genuinely want to know God, I think.  I mean, what's deep inside me longs to know God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Unfortunately, my relationship with God has too often been more about behavior modification than anything else - all in the hopes that he would "turn his face toward" me.  I also had to do the "right" things to keep my face looking at him, so that I wouldn't miss it if he did.

What an incredibly dire way to live.  All of the meaning of the practices of the Christian faith are hollow when this is our goal - whether intentionally or not.  Prayer rings hollow if we do it hoping that it will get God to turn his face toward us.  Worship is meaningless, if we do it hoping it will get God to turn his face toward us.  Giving, living in community, bible study, giving away our lives...all of it's hopeless if our end goal is to get God to turn his face toward us.

It's all hopeless because our confidence is misplaced.  It's placed in the activities or behaviors.  Our hope is not in the God we seek, but in the things we can do, or don't do.  We don't pray, worship or study the bible, so God will turn his face toward us.  His face is already turned toward us - his posture was made clear in the person and sacrifice of Jesus.  There is NOTHING we can do that will cause him to look more favorably on us.  The work of Jesus satisfied his favor.  When we can embrace this incredible freedom, the practices of our faith become a means for us to turn our faces toward him - simply to find him staring into our eyes with love and grace and compassion and mercy.

May we live today knowing that the gaze of Father is fixed firmly on us and when he sees us, he sees his perfect Son, Jesus.  May the Spirit of God, give us the courage and the strength to live out this freedom.  May we continually seek to relate above behaving.  May we love with everything we are...both God and our neighbors!