[blockquote cite=”Psalm 104:29″]When you hide your face, they are dismayed[/blockquote]
[line]
My 8th grade son, Caleb, was telling me about a small conflict at school, and he mentioned that his teacher wouldn’t look him in the eye. I wonder if that is the first time he’s noticed that when another person is “not right” with you, he/she just can’t look you in the eye. I wonder if he himself has experienced not being able to look someone else in the eye.
Have you noticed that it is really difficult to look someone in the face when they have hurt you or disappointed you? Or perhaps you’ve wondered why it was that a certain someone has a hard time looking you in the eye. Turning away one’s face is a tell tale sign that something is wrong.
In the Hebrew language of the Bible, to hide one’s face was to reject the other person, to consider him an enemy, to express one’s anger or to cause the other person dismay. To turn one’s face toward another person was to offer salvation, friendship or help. (I’ve included various Scripture references below.)
We long to be accepted. I just love the phrase in the Aaronic Benediction, “May the Lord make His face to shine upon you.” (1) Every Friday night at the dinner table, our family quotes this to one another. It is my prayer that God will be pleased with our family and that His face will turn towards us and never away from us. In the same way, my hope is that as my children grow up, they will find favor with people. That they will have many faces turned towards them and that they will be able to look people in the eye, even people who have deeply wounded them.
When I notice that someone else cannot look me in the eye, it is a warning to me that I must not ignore. Jesus gave pretty clear instructions on this matter. He taught, “If you are offering your gift at the altar (desiring to draw near to God’s presence), and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (2) It isn’t enough to think about someone being upset with you, and then just let it go. If you remember, you must do something about it. (3)
If I find myself not being able to look someone in the eye, it is an indicator to me that I need to find a quiet place and work things out with the Lord to get my heart right. I may need to forgive. I may need to pray. I may need to talk with the person. But, one thing is for sure, I can’t just let it go. People can sense when something isn’t right, and then imaginations can take over and make the situation even worse. This summer, I was unable to look a couple in the eye because they delivered some disappointing news to me. When I caught myself, I worked out my feelings so that the next time I saw them, I was able to turn my face toward them again in acceptance and friendship.
My face tells it all. I can’t fake it. My face cannot reflect something different than what is going on in my heart. Solomon was indeed very wise when he wrote, “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.” (4)
My desire is that my face reflects the healing work God has done in my spirit. Some days are better than others. But, I keep pressing on.
[line]
• “Why do You hide Your face And consider me Your enemy?” (Job 13:24)
• “You hid Your face, I was dismayed. (Psalm 30:7)
• “O LORD, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?” (Psalm 88:14)
• “Answer me quickly, O LORD, my spirit fails; Do not hide Your face from me, Or I will become like those who go down to the pit.” (Psalm 143:7)
• “The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you.” (Numbers 6:25)
• “Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.” (Exodus 33:11)
• “For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.” (Psalm 22:24)
• “O God, restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.” (Psalm 80:3)
Recent Comments