The Hand of God - the Face of God

Long ago I heard someone say that we should fix our eyes on God’s face, not God hand. I’ve never forgotten that statement. Let me explain what that means. When life is chaos and pain and waiting to see if a fire might consume everything we own, we don’t look at our circumstances and say, “God must not love me to treat me like this.” That’s looking at God’s hand.

Instead, faith looks at the face of God – His unchanging character. James said He is “the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” He is always who He is, and He is always for us because He sees us in His Son. Every day in every circumstance God is smiling on His children. He is working all things together for good in their lives, conforming them into the image of His Son, whether it’s through miracles and deliverance, or through pain and suffering. His countenance never changes toward His own. This is God’s face toward His children—

The Lord your God is in your midst,

A mighty One who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
He will quiet you by his love;
He will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

We will never understand God’s hand in our lives. The outworking of His providence is way beyond us. But keep looking at His face. And “when darkness veils His lovely face,” then “rest on His unchanging grace.” And keep singing, “Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.”