Good morning…
After I spoke at a recent gathering, I was given a precious “Thank you” gift, a pack of tiny cards bearing scripture verses and a miniature cardholder. The gift now lives in my guest bath, and I change the position of the twenty-three cards regularly. This morning, the card in the front bears this Bible verse.
“I sought the Lord, and He answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.”
– Psalm 34:5
I love how clearly our choice is defined. Our face will be covered with shame or our face will be glowing with radiance, depending on whether we commit wholeheartedly to these four basic steps.
1) Look to the Lord.
2) Seek His companionship.
3) Trust God to answer in His time, in His way.
4) Be delivered from all fears, shedding your shame.
These four steps take time to become a way of life. In our human nature, we search frantically for a quick fix rather than looking constantly to the Lord. We seek instant relief from discomfort rather than conversational companionship with God. With worries running wild, we crave immediate answers rather trusting God’s answer to gradually be revealed. Deliverance does not come from dabbling in faith or dancing around the truth, we must be deeply committed to the process of spiritual transformation if we are to be freed from all fears, shedding the shadow of shame on our face.
Look. Seek. Trust. Be delivered. This is God’s ancient recipe for radiance.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes (Psalm 19:8, NIV),
…Sue…
