Beautiful Word Devotional #45

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us.

Psalm 67:1

Look around the auditorium when the junior high band has a concert. What do you see? Parents and relatives of the band members. One couple’s faces shine with joy over their child’s clarinet solo. And that image reflects God’s face shining upon us.

God, our heavenly Father, watches our lives like a proud parent, reveling in our efforts, filled with joy as he looks at us. But we don’t have to perform to make him smile. He flat out loves us in the midst of our messiness too.

Today’s Scripture reminds us that God’s desires to be gracious to us and to bless us. And his gracious blessing comes often in the form of his affection and kindness toward us.

You may have had a difficult parent whose face didn’t shine on you. Or maybe you feel God is mad at you, and his face couldn’t possibly light up when he sees you. The truth is this: God’s face shines with joy when he thinks of you.

Lord, I’m humbled by imagining your face actually shining when you think of me—and I’m grateful for your love, amen.