“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 NIV
His Shining Face
A BC MLA’s bold 2017 idea of building a new world-class mountain resort in BC, with a massive carved mountain monument as its feature attraction, would increase tourism in areas of the province that need an economic boost. Laurie Throness said it would not necessarily depict a face like Mount Rushmore and the under-construction Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota, but “it would [still] be an important monument that would reflect the aspirations, history, and culture of British Columbia.”
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Face recognition is an important part of security protocol in our digital age. Each of us have a face unlike all others, and our eyes are as unique as our fingerprints. We often tell others that we can remember a face far more readily than a name. God is Spirit, of course. He doesn’t have a physical face as we do. But the Bible speaks of God’s face in Numbers 6:24-26: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.” These are the words for God Himself who gave them to Moses to share with Aaron. God desires to bless us and keep us. When He shines His face upon us, we experience His peace and His grace. It is the sign of His favour upon us. No wonder this has come to be known as the priestly blessing. We long to have God’s shining face, His blessing and favour, upon us in every way. May our God turn His face towards you today and pour out His blessings on you.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley