God Promises He Will Smile On You

Psalms 67:1-2 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, 2 that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
 
YOU may be familiar with the prayer for God’s face to shine upon us. It’s from the common benediction of Numbers 6:24 The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. Another way to say this is, “May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us.” (New Living Translation) And perhaps a third way to express this prayer is to say, “May God’s face light up when he sees you!” Why does it matter to Israel that God expresses his loving, kind blessings toward them?
   There are three reasons. The prayer is first a confession of God’s omnipotent control over Israel. When the people prayed for God to smile on them, they confessed that his smile is his blessing that leads to physical and spiritual peace for their lives. They also, in turn, know that his frown is his curse. It leads to spiritual and physical despair.
   Israel’s faithful people who worshiped God understood that the core of their relationship with God was his promise of blessing and curse: Deuteronomy 11:26-28 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse – 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
   The faithful Jews understood God was true to his Word. In Israel’s history, beginning in the Exodus desert, when they obeyed God, they prospered. When they rejected God, the LORD cursed Israel with swift judgment and pagan rule over the land. (Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges &1 Samuel 1-2 record some of this.)
   A second reason Israel prayed “the LORD make his face smile on you.” was to remind themselves of their responsibility to worship him with all their heart – their obedience, love, devotion and praise to God. If you seek God’s smile, you must raise God above all things and worship hm only.
   The third reason for God’s smile on Israel is that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. The worshiping Jews prayed they would share God’s life-giving law and blessing with the world. God commands us to share his smile.
   Today God’s smile is his salvation into sin’s darkness. His smile is the good news of forgiveness, resurrection and joy of eternal life. God’s smile is the gospel’s transforming power and the Spirit’s presence within you. God’s smile is Jesus interceding for you before God’s throne. It is Jesus promise to be with you always even to eh end of the age. (Matthew 28:21)  
   You will surely think of others ways God smiles on you. Are you sharing his smile? When you do, you confess God is the omnipotent power of the universe and of your life. You tell the world you worship God, devoting your heart to his commands.
   In view of your salvation in Jesus Christ, may your smile sing to the world the psalmist’s song: Psalm 67:3 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the  peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. 5 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 6 Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. 7 God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.