Psalm 31:16-17 Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies’ sake. Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave.
What David asked the Lord back in the day when he was still fleeing from King Saul who wanted him dead, is our reality: we get to live from in Christ Jesus, for Christ reconciled us with the Father, and because of that, we get to live by faith in Jesus, knowing our Father’s face shines upon us too!
Even though David was anointed by God to be the next king, the evil onslaught on his life still continued, which reminds us of the battle we too face each day and get to call upon the Name of the Lord.
Sadly, some confessing Christians think only good things must happen to them and no evil or bad thing will come their way due to the goodness of God, so when adversity strikes and bad things happen, they wonder where the Lord was or what they did wrong in order to deserve it.
David helps us to realise the reality of the fallen world we live in and that the god of this world will attack God's anointed and try to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus has come to give us life and life in abundance!
Because of this precious life in Christ, we too, like David, can fully turn to the steadfastness of the Lord at all times, even during attacks and opposition and unfairness.
David knew that the Lord was his Rock, his Steadfastness and his Fortress, and even though his enemy wanted to cut his days short, David hid in the peace of the Lord, knowing God chose him for His purposes, just like we were chosen to be holy and blameless in our Father's sight in Christ no matter what.
In whose hands are your life? Who do you call upon in your time of need?
Because my life is in the Father's hands, and I call upon Jesus all the time, as all believers in Christ can and ought to know that despite the evil plans of the enemy to bring times of distress, pain, hurt and suffering over us, our times are in God’s hand, on whom we can fully rely, call upon, and be assured of His face shining over us!
Don't ever forget to come unto Him with what we are burdened and heavy laden with, for He gives us His rest, so that just like David proclaimed, God may deliver us for His mercy's sake!
For only through Christ do we get to live at all times no matter what we face, assured that our Father's face is shining over us as we get to embrace each moment knowing of His precious mercy towards us.
Amen