Countenance Check-up
Psalm 34:5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame… V8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
It’s neat hanging around people who smile. They bring a lightness to the conversation and a sense of being at ease. Other people who don’t smile or find much joy in life aren’t as neat to hang around. You know what I mean? Which person am I?
This tiny verse in Psalm 34 unravels a divine secret to finding a heart joy and contentment that gets expressed in a radiant face. Joy is visibly evident in the person’s life. Sure the person may be experiencing some life trials, yet the trial is buffered with true perspective. God’s viewpoint gets downloaded to the one who chooses to do what the Psalmist says in v5. “Those who look to him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame.”
I once saw a guy eating a slice of pizza at a food court in London. I couldn’t help but stare discreetly. I believe he was eating a slice of Pizza Pizza “pizza”. Either the man was ravishingly hungry or he was high, I thought. Apparently a security guard came over later to usher him off the premises. Some chatter from neighbouring tables indicated this guy was high on drugs. Whatever the case, I watched with fascination and some smiling, as he began to eat the slice. You would have thought this was the most incredible pizza ever the way he got into eating it with such expression on his face. He would have made a great poster boy for the Pizza company. The delight he was experiencing, granted it may have been aided by some illegal drugs, was crystal clear on his face. Where are you going with this Scott?
Our faces will show what we’re experiencing. Substitute the delicious pizza for an invisible feast of spiritual delights – spiritually tasting and seeing that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8.
I’m the same as you. When I have turned my heart away from tasting my God in his Word, the Bible, my face tends to look more weary or less joyful.
Next time you look in the mirror, brushing your teeth or blow drying your hair, evaluate your countenance with God’s help. Is there a level of contentment and joy or weariness and worry coming through?
Here’s a sure fire solution to getting back to a shameless radiant face: Look to the Lord, taste his goodness by reading and digesting and applying his nourishing words. Pick up a Bible reading plan and commit to carving out time each day to put your eyes and heart on the pages of Scripture. I believe this is one of the greatest needs in our culture today. I’m not talking about people outside the church. I’m talking regular church attenders and members.
Watch what happens to your soul after a week in the Word. Hey, read over the rest of Psalm 34 and give God permission to speak personally. He will, and you’ll begin to notice and maybe hear comments about your countenance changing.
Friend, Taste and see that the Lord is Good! Don’t waste your appetite and tastebuds on lesser things.