This past Sunday, I was a visitor at a little country church. In the traditional manner, at a Roman Catholic church, most of the people were on their knees praying. What I observed, though, caused me to pause. Their body language spoke of anguish, pain, suffering. They were very bent over, had their hands covering their faces or either had their heads in their hands. Don’t misunderstand what I am trying to convey. It is not wrong to be reverent…to pour out your heart to the Lord…to be lost in prayer with Him. I am positive that these people were praying heartfelt, sincere prayers and listening to the voice of God. I am not judging them, or saying that I think they were doing anything wrong, it was just something that I noticed. It just struck me and, I must admit, my first thought was how sad they looked in contrast to how happy I was to be sitting there. I find myself smiling a lot in church, even though I have had the occasional time I probably looked a lot like they looked…I love being in church! I feel lifted up by my church family, happy to be giving my time to my Lord, and I feel His presence in a special way at church.
What I observed Sunday, came back to mind again yesterday. My friend and I pray every Tuesday afternoon (a part of the Mom In Touch International) for our children. We pray for a solid hour, deep in prayer, lost in the Holy Spirit. But every Tuesday, when we finish praying and open our eyes we are smiling! As we grinned at each other yesterday and uttered the words that always seem to jump from our lips “that was awesome!”, the imagery of Sunday came back to mind.
Today, I opened my devotion book and the scripture to read was Exodus 34:29-35. That is the scripture on “The Radiant Face of Moses”. God is telling me something! It starts out…”When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord”. Exodus 34:29. Then in the next verse, “When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant…”. Exodus 34:30. And again in verse 35…”And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant.”
Moses’ face was radiant after he spent time with God. The people around him could clearly see God’s presence within him. We have Christ within us and since he is in us, our faces can reflect Christ. Remember in the book of Matthew, the transfiguration of Jesus….”There he (Jesus) was transfigured before them (Peter, James, and John). His face shone like the sun…” Matthew 17:2. I know that every prayer time with God will not produce a face that can light up a room. Reverence, solemnity, piety and veneration are very holy…they are show our devotion, our holiness…they are a form of worshipping our Father. Our time meditating, praying, and sitting in God’s presence should have such an effect on our lives that people will know we have been with God, that the risen Lord is dwelling within us.
So, if you see a “radiant face” or a “face shinning like the sun” don’t assume that that person’s life is perfect, that they have no trials or tribulations, or that they have it all together. Instead, recognize that that person is a sinner just like you or I, that they have problems and stress just like you and I, and they are covered by the blood of Jesus just like you and I. But they probably and consistently are praying and meditating and sitting in the presence of God and it is our Lord’s presence within them that is making their “face shine like the sun”!
