“Cover your face”
Cover your face, cover your emotions. Could it be that we are losing compassion for one another in our society? You pass someone in a parking lot or in a store and struggle to show a courteous smile behind a mask. I want to make a personal connection with people, but so much of communication is nonverbal. We tend to judge each other before we even say a word by just looking at each other’s faces. There’s something about the countenance of the face that I miss so much today and concerns me in the social conditioning of our culture.
In Numbers chapter 6, God spoke to Moses and said, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” When God allowed his face to shine upon Aaron and his sons what did it bring? Peace. The blessing that was spoken for the people to be under the protection of almighty God; to enjoy his favor as the smile of a loving Father, or as the cheering beams of the sun; while he mercifully forgives our sins, supplies our wants, consoles the heart, and prepares us by his grace for eternal glory; These things form the substance of this blessing, and the sum total of all blessings (Matthew Henry).
What a challenging season we face today to reach out and share the love of God while our countenance is covered. My heart is burdened for our world when we risk losing the show of compassion and comfort for one another in our times. This fact transcends any face covering
Men and women everywhere are protesting because ultimately they feel the world lacks compassion. They feel people have been mistreated and taken for granted in our society, and in many cases they are right. Our world needs the comforter. We need the one gift that Jesus said he would leave for us when he ascended to heaven; Comfort. The spirit of Christ is the only answer for the hurt and pain in our world. Apostle Paul called Him the “God of all comfort.” 2corinthians 1:4 “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” If you are gifted the Holy Spirit alive inside of your heart, the compassion and comfort that is shared with us from God himself must be shared with those we come in contact with. This is the powerful answer that transcends any earthly pain and sorrow. Where there is no compassion, the church shows compassion. Where there pain, the church displays its comfort. He’s given us the tool to comfort those in trouble by showing the same comfort we ourselves received of God. Let us try harder than ever before to showcase the compassion of Christ we were endowed within the spirit. We must view people not as a threat but as one that God loves. I pray our countenance and the fruit of our lips display the peace of the one who sent the comforter