I TURNED AND SAW THE FACE OF GOD
I turned and saw the Face of God
His Glory did surround me
He smiled and gave a wink, a nod
No chaos could confound me
His Grace and Mercy were now mine
His Joy was Mine Abounding
That I might then His Glory shine
To shout His praise resounding
Turmoil, strife, stress, criticism, hopelessness, and poverty encircle our lives every day. You only have to turn on the TV and watch the news for a little while. Look through the houses on the market and see how many foreclosures there are with a bleeding heart for this had not been the owners desire. Unemployment numbers remain high and yet those numbers don’t even include all the people who have fallen off the grid for lack of work for so long that no longer can they be counted. Employers demand more and pay less while the costs of living continue to rise. Fear could become a way of life for many. It would appear to all that uncertainty is the only certainty of life. Yet,
there is a promise of hope that allows the redeemed to have peace and joy in the center of a chaotic world and that hope is found in God.
Isaiah 51: 4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me,…
5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their reviling.
8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
10 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
11 Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
13 And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.
15 But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The Lord of hosts is his name.
So what do we do when we see turmoil surrounding us?
1. Hearken to His Voice, His Promises
2. Look up, with the eyes of our heart seeking to see His face
3. Awaken our spirits to Him
4. Remember who is our protector–the Great I AM.
5. Sing with praises to God, the Lord of Hosts for Who He is.
Often, we only need to turn and see the Face of God, so that all fear, confusion, hopelessness and sorrow might be turned into valor, peace, hope and joy.
Are you in the midst of a storm today? Or can you tell me of a storm or turmoil that God’s promises carried you from fear to peace to Joy?
©2013 Effie Darlene Barba
Art work by RoninRon custom art ©2007 (used by permission)
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/my-ethereal-angel-ronald-barba.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K44trVhtZX4 (Preview)
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