When God Smiles On You

READ PSALM 67

Psalm 67:1 (ESV)

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah.

When I was in high school my grandfather would come to almost all of our baseball games. My brothers and I played on the same team so it was his favorite past time to come out with his beat up Chicago Cubs hat on, set up a lawn chair next to the fence backstop, and silently enjoy the game.

He rarely said anything, but when the game got tight and we needed to score some runs, I would glance over to him from the on-deck circle and he would raise his hand to the sky, point a finger to the outfield fence, and smile. It was his way of saying, "It's time for a home run."

I would smile back and nod my head. Most times I didn't hit a home run, but on a few occasions, I DID! And when I ran around those bases I was so excited to get to home plate so I could see his face. He would be standing up and smiling from ear to ear. Those are such great memories. It was such a wonderful feeling to receive his smile of approval.

Psalm 67 captures the beauty of craving God's smile to shine upon us. It is a blessing beyond measure to know that the God of the universe looks down upon us and acknowledges that He sees us and loves us.

Numbers 6:24-26 is the first recording of this beautiful prayer of blessing. It was spoken by Moses over his brother Aaron and his sons. Psalm 67 expands the prayer to all of us, and I am so thankful. If you didn't grow up in a loving family that gave you smiles of approval, then let the blessing of Psalm 67 bring the light of Christ into your day. Take a few moments to absorb the son shine. Embrace the blessing of these words, "May the Lord make His face to shine upon you."

And always remember this, the world would be a better place if we smiled more. There are people who are desparate for someone to give them a smile of encouragement. For some, it could make all the difference in the world. In fact, your smile may be heaven sent...so give them freely and frequently! If you are praying for God to make His face to shine upon you, then it only makes sense that you make your face to shine upon others.

We all know there is nothing better than When God Smiles On You.

Josh Huisman is the senior pastor of Crosswalk Church in Brentwood, TN.

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