The God who sees Faces

Many years ago, on an occasion when we had a gathering of friends from church, a dear friend of mine walked to me and asked me, why my face was sullen. I was taken aback that she saw through my ‘mask’. Of course, I denied to her that I was desperately broken on the inside. As the old adage goes, “the face is the index of the heart”, she was spot on!

One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible is 1 Samuel 1:18.

“So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

This is the story of Hannah. Hannah was barren. Being constantly provoked by her rival Peninah, she went to the Lord’s house to pour her heart out to God. Long story short, Eli just gave a word. “Go in peace, may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

And here’s where the scripture speaks about the ‘face of Hannah.’ “So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

It was interesting to me that God observed Hannah’s face. Her countenance mattered to him!!

Another place where the scriptures record a downcast countenance is with Cain, when his offering was rejected. God saw the face of Cain and asked, “Why is your countenance fallen? Will you not be accepted if you do what is right”?

He is a God who sees… with tender compassion, like a Father, he sees.

Hagar was the first to give God the name “EL ROI” meaning “You are the God who sees me.”

Indeed God sees and by the power of his Spirit, he causes us to see people and situations the way he sees them too.

One morning when I was praying, a thought flashed across my mind. “But I died for that soul, too.” It came in such a tender manner that it moved me to tears. Let me give you the back story to this:

There is this individual who is a sportsman but was getting on the news for all the wrong reasons. Anytime fox had any news on this particular sports person, I would read it with such contempt, because his actions are pretty atrocious and sharply in contrast to the christian lifestyle. This had been going on for well over 6 months. This was when the thought came to mind one morning when in prayer.

“But…I died for that soul too..” It came with such tenderness that ANYONE would surrender to that LOVE DIVINE.

I saw that while my heart was filled with prejudice, God’s heart was still filled with love… even to a person who wanted nothing of God. It reminded me, I was once a vile sinner too. His great mercy rescued me from the pit. Who was I to think that the same grace that picked me up, will not pick up another who is yet to discover God’s love and grace?

“For God so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

The GREATEST GIFT that God gave to this World was JESUS who is LOVE. The greatest gift that we can give this hurting world is still GOD’S LOVE.

God still sees faces… and opens our eyes to see them too!