Job 33:26 then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,
    they will see God’s face and shout for joy;
    he will restore them to full well-being.

Oh the joy of seeing God’s face! This isn’t something we see expressed often in so many words, but the feeling is there in several places in the Bible. This is rather in contrast to what God told Moses about seeing Him, (Exodus 33:20) but it agrees with Moses’ regular practice of meeting with God in the tabernacle. (Exodus 33:11) That might seem contradictory, but there all sorts of “seeing.” Because God is Spirit, our physical eyes can’t possibly see Him, but it is entirely possible to be as aware of Him as if He were a person in the room with us. For someone who is turned and yielded to God, that is a joy beyond words to express. For someone who is in rebellion against God, that is conversely an inexpressible terror. The difference is entirely in heart attitude, founded on faith. Countless people have found God, just as He promised Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:13), and as it says here, that is joy indeed.

I will always be grateful for the privilege of interpreting for Benjamin Berger when he came to Japan. He was born in New York City after his parents refugeed there, all four of his grandparents having been killed in the Holocaust. He had been told from childhood that “Christians caused the Holocaust,” and he believed it. After college he got a job in Europe, and one day after coming home he was reading the newspaper when he felt someone was in the room. The feeling got stronger and stronger, until he heard a voice: “I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, and I’m your God.” A conversation ensued, and after a few minutes the Lord said, “And by the way, my name’s Jesus.” Not many people have encounters that dramatic, but God is that real, if we will open our hearts to Him. In my own experience, in a time of worship in a small group I once felt such intense joy that I literally told the Lord, “If You have anything more for me to do here, You’d better back off, because my flesh can’t take any more.” I felt like one more drop of joy and I would go straight to heaven! Needless to say, I’m not afraid of death! That experience makes me identify fully with this verse, because I know that seeing my Lord will be “joy unspeakable, and full of glory,” as the hymn puts it. (1 Peter 1:8) However, I know He still has work for me to do, because I’m still here!

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s very appropriate for my 56^th wedding anniversary! You have given me great joy in my wife and in our relationship, and at the same time I know that is just a pale reflection of the joy of full fellowship with You. I do ask for grace and anointing in how we spend this day, and I pray that we, individually and as a couple, may draw many into right relationship with You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!