| Face-to-Face
by Joni Eareckson Tada |
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| “Show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”
Song of Songs 2:14 |
| These are words of a God in love. God thinks my soul is beautiful when I praise him! It makes me want to praise him in word and with singing all the more. “Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful…Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful” (Ps. 33:1; 147:1 NKJV).
Little wonder I can hardly wait to see his face. Like any bride-in-waiting, I find it hard to rest comfortably in a relationship when I cannot see the face of the one I adore. When it comes to brides and bridegrooms, full intimacy comes between a man and woman face-to-face. And when the Bible speaks of longing for God, it speaks in terms of wanting to see his face. The psalmist pleads with God, “Make your face shine upon us” (Ps. 80:3) and “Do not hide your face from me” (Ps. 27:9). Ultimately “In righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness” (Ps. 17:15). To hold the gaze of God is to find love, acceptance, and satisfaction.
Our longing to see the face of God is a longing, whether we know it or not, to see our sins exposed and to be cleansed. This is what brides-in-waiting do: “‘His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)” (Rev. 19:7—8). Your wedding gift to your Savior is your earthly obedience, the evidence of your love. Dressed in righteousness, you will see the face of God! Make your praise beautiful today—he thinks it’s lovely!
I make my prayer Psalm 42 today: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” |
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| Taken from More Precious than Silver
By Joni Eareckson Tada
Copyright © 1998
Published in Print by Zondervan, Grand Rapids
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version. |
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For More Inspiration…
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Our Dear Sister in Christ Brenda from Indiana took the Awe of God photo! Love you Sister!
