I was speaking with Janet several days ago after having overheard a call she was on. No, I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything – it was just that I could tell that she was having a good time and, for some reason, when she finished her call, I announced to her that I could actually “hear her smile!” It just came out – I don’t think I intended to say that, but on hindsight there was no other more appropriate way to define what I had just experienced.
Now this isn’t some Yogi Bear-ism… such as “it ain’t over till it’s over” or “when you come to a fork in the road, take it.” But I admit that it sounds like something Yogi would have said. No… I claim authorship. Sometimes, when we just blurt something out, something that just comes from the depth of our being, it is usually true. So I have spent some time thinking about the whole situation and why it was crystal clear to me that Janet was smiling during her call. After all, it’s not like she was laughing or telling jokes or something.
I guess part of it is that we have been together so long that we have developed our own type of shorthand that is almost automatic at this point in our lives. Most couples have this kind of communication in their marriages.
And most of us who have children will tell you that we can tell what kind of mood they are in without any words being exchanged. A certain look, or a pursing of the lips, or other types of body language can give us loads of information. And when we lose the ability to interact visually, we tend to rely on our sense of hearing. In fact, I used to teach salespeople to close their eyes when they were on a call so they could focus on the body language, inflection, breathing rhythms, pitch, tone and so many other variables to determine where their prospect was in the buying cycle – and how they were receiving the information being shared.
I know that this could sound kind of crazy, but it’s true, and learning to interpret a mood is an acquired skill. Our relationship with God is very similar. When we do something in keeping with God’s desire for our lives, but don’t you think you can imagine God smiling? Of course, we can’t see God, but we sense His pleasure with us. Similarly, we don’t need to be told when we disappoint God or His Son – we “know” it.
There are many Bible verses that speak to God’s smile, or seeing Him face to face. In the Old Testament, it was a very common for people to meet “face to face.” That was the desired way to communicate with one another but for now, that avenue isn’t open to us to commune with Jesus or God the Father. So we must hone our other skills to know when God is “smiling…”
So what causes God to smile on us? It seems clear from the Scripture that God smiles when we have faith and are obedient to His word. People such as Noah and Enoch, was well as Abraham exemplify these traits. God also wants us to trust Him and is genuinely pleased when we love and trust Him. Similarly, God is pleased when we praise and thank Him for the blessings He has bestowed on us.
Our verse for tonight is one of the Aaronic blessings from the Old Testament. It is a very famous benediction that is used quite frequently to bless audiences or congregations. In fact, I have used it hundreds of times at the end of wedding ceremonies to bless the people gathered together to witness the joining of two people as husband and wife. Moses, the author of Numbers gives us the words of the Lord and tells us, in Numbers 6:22-27, “The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:“ ‘ “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ’“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
Notice that God instructs Aaron how to bless the Israelites. Aaron and his sons represented the priestly obligations of the nation – representing the people to God and Abraham was the prophet, representing God to the people. So there was clear communications between God and His people. When the LORD makes His face to shine upon the Israelites, He is talking about a smile! And the LORD will also turn His face to them – face to face… the most intimate kind of communication between people and their God.
My encouragement this evening is that someday we will each meet God face to face. In the meantime, it is my prayer that we will all continue to do things that put a smile on God’s face, even if we can only sense it – not witness it in person – at least not yet! Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…