“Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes” (Ps 119:135).
The shiny-faced God! There’s something unique about a glowing countenance. No cosmetic can accomplish this. Concerning Stephen we read, “And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). Had any of them seen an angel? Probably not, but they were acknowledging that they were looking at something other-worldly, the reflected glory of heaven.
It’s hard for people to deny the reality of heaven when they meet people who visited there earlier that day and who are still bearing the evidence in their faces. A businessman took the late T.E. Wilson to a restaurant. As he was paying the checkout lady, she exclaimed, “Who is that man with you?” He explained, then added, “Why, do you know him?” “No,” she responded, “but he has the face of an angel!” If the Lord is going to make His face shine on us today, we’ll have to make sure we spend time catching the glow from His nearness.