Do you long to see the face of Jesus? Soon you will see him and be like him. When suffering makes your world small, know that the Lord is larger than it all.
I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I long to see the face of Jesus.
And deep down inside, you do, too. Because you find it hard to rest comfortably in a relationship, don’t you, in a relationship with God, or anyone, when you cannot see their face? The essence of a person is in his face, his eyes, mouth, smile. And it is why most of us were so frustrated with COVID requirements, right? You know, wearing those masks, everyone’s faces hidden. People in love sure do understand this. When they are separated, they are always gazing at photos of each other. The face of the one they love represents everything that they adore about that person, and they count the days until they can be together again. And I wonder if Jesus may feel the same way about us. Like a tender-hearted lover, God woos us in Psalm 27, saying, “Seek my face,” and we respond in that Psalm, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” And then, when we suffer, our pain awakens an even greater tenderness for Christ for, like it says in Psalm 34, “the Lord is near to the brokenhearted[.] [He] saves [those who are] crushed in spirit.” There is something very tender in God’s heart toward his people when they hurt.
My friend Barbara experiences this kind of intimacy with Jesus, even though she struggles with degenerative disc disease, lymphoma, Lyme’s, fibromyalgia, and more. She once told me, “Joni, my world is smaller, but the Lord is so much larger. When I wake up, before looking at my own face in the mirror, I look to the Lord and [I] ask him to wash all my sins away so I can start [afresh.] [And then] Throughout the day I remember his tender love, and at night when I lie down, I feel a little like the person in the song of Solomon who [senses that God’s] ‘left arm [is] under my head and his right arm [is] embracing me.’ [And Joni,] Sometimes in bed, I will cry in unexplainable happiness; it’s a joy that grips me harder than my pain. I’m just so happy to be near the King!” Wow. Yep, my friend Barbara is in love with Jesus.
And in a way, I, too, experience those times when, at night, when I cannot sleep, I look to Jesus and I’m just so happy. Although I suffer with far fewer things than Barbara, I am, like her, often overcome by sheer joy while lying flat in bed in pain. Sometimes I cannot tell if my tears flow from agony or from my joy in the Lord. Whichever, in the evening light of my bedroom, I love to sing to my Savior, “Face to face I shall behold him, Far beyond the starry sky; Face to face in all his glory, I shall see him by and by.” Isn’t that wonderful? I mean, don’t you find that encouraging? Soon we shall see him. And that hymn perfectly describes the moment in 1 John 3 when, “We shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” Oh, oh, oh, we’re going to be like him, hallelujah! So, when suffering makes your world small, please know that the Lord is larger. And discover how much larger he is and dream of the day you will see Jesus face to face. It’s what every lover longs for.
These thoughts I’ve shared are from my book "Songs of Suffering." It’s a collection of my handpicked favorite hymns: songs of suffering whose words are so rich and deep, they have sustained me through times of great loss and suffering. I’ve posted details about this book on joniradio.org, so if you know someone who is going through a tough time, tell them about "Songs of Suffering." It’ll bless them, I promise. Find out more at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends