His Face Shines

"Restore us, O God;

make your face shine on us,

that we may be saved."

Psalm 80:3

My life lies in a precarious balance, so dependent upon the mercy of God am I.  Do I realize how fragile is this day I often take for granted?  How I assume the sun will rise up over the horizon in glorious splendor!  I step out of bed each morning at the beckoning of my alarm, not thinking twice that I've been given such a gift as another day to live.  My routine comforts me as I prepare my tea and tidy the house, but Who is it that hold my life in His hands?

It is my desire that I adopt the attitude of Asaph who realized how desperately he needed the restoring presence of the Lord.  I want to really grasp how much one fraction of a beam of His Light can return my life back to what He meant for me to be.  All I need is Him, and I will be saved.

Leadership.  Jesus was moved to compassion whenever He saw the crowds that desperately reached out to Him for help.  They wanted to hear the truth of the Good News, they longed for connection and craved healing of all sorts.  He saw them as sheep without a shepherd, eager for a leader they could trust to give them guidance and direction (Matthew 9:35-38, Mark 6:31-34).

I, too, am like those people who flocked toward Jesus as He walked the earth.  I need guidance and direction, and like in times of old, I have that leadership in Jesus Christ.  He is my Good Shepherd who came to lead me down paths of righteousness for His namesake (John 10:11-16, Psalm 23).  He shows me the path of life and helps me negotiate it's narrow, rocky way (Matthew 7:13-14).

I desperately need the leadership that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

Belonging.  I go to great lengths to try to belong, to fit in somewhere.  It is human nature to desire a family of some kind.  Some find this place in a gang who claims to care but is rooted in blood and power.  Others look for belonging at work, attempting to connect with co-workers who may be only looking out for their own best interest.  A few marry quickly, in need of making a family with the first one who shows interest, only to find there is nothing to bind them together and strife becomes their hallmark.  

All of mankind needs some kind of relationship, a connection with another living being in order to survive.  Even Grizzly Adams, the based-on-real-life television character who lived out in the wilderness alone, had his menagerie of creatures to give him a sense of companionship.  

No matter where I live or the direction in which my life goes, through faith in Christ I have this belonging.  I am His and He is mine, adopted into His family as His well-loved child (1 John 3:1, Psalm 100:3).  As such, I am part of a group of other believers from all walks of life who share my love for our Father.  Despite how things may look as we go through life together, we are a royal family who is well-cared for by the King of kings and Lord of lords.

I desperately need the sense of belonging that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

Provision.  I like to think I'm fine on my own, able to take care of myself, thank you very much.  I appreciate Someone caring enough to look out for me, but I often think there are some things I'd rather handle on my own.  I've fooled myself into believing I'm good at providing the things I need for life.

In reality, He gives me all I have (Psalm 8).  I used to think this thought was ludicrous.  When I reviewed my life, it occurred to me that I drove myself to work every day where I earned money to buy the things I needed and came back to the house I rented and kept clean and filled with the necessities of life.  I just didn't see where God fit into the picture.  Over the years, He opened my eyes to the reality of my dependence upon Him, whether I know it or not.  I realized that without Him, I couldn't even take the next breath let alone get out of bed and start my day.  This is my Father's world, and without Him, there is nothing for me to stand upon, no life to live, no heart to beat (Psalm 19).

I desperately need God's favor that comes through faith in Jesus Christ and gives me each moment of life and all that is necessary to continue living.

Like the psalmist, I desire God's face to shine on me because I know He is my only hope for restoration in this broken world.  I need His leadership, the belonging, and the provision of His sovereign hand that all come through faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6).  My life is in His hands, but there is no other place I'd rather rest!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God with every detail, knowing that He is more than able to take care of me.

When do I hold back, attempting to do things on my own instead of letting God provide in the way He desires to care for me as His child?

How am I bent on self-sufficiency instead of dependence?