“O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice.”
1. Appearance, especially the expression of the face: <The question left him with a puzzled countenance.>
2. The face or facial features.
3. a. A look or expression indicative of encouragement or of moral support.
b. Support or approval.
4. Obsolete: Bearing; demeanor
Solomon was saying to his love,
“I want to see your face and read what you are thinking in your expression.”
Perhaps those we meet everyday are reading in our faces something that we didn’t mean for them to see. I remember sitting at my desk one day listening to a Dictaphone so I could put together notes and an outline for the sermon the next Sunday. I was the Church Secretary, and that was my job. But, my job was also to greet people as they came into the office. I guess the look of concentration on my face made me appear sad or even angry to a lady who came in. She proceeded to reprimand me for not having a “happy face” for the public. I didn’t take that well, because she was so off the mark. But, also because in my heart, I felt this woman was one of the bossiest persons I had ever known. My countenance was an important part of my job, and it’s also an important part of your job as a Christian.
Many people feel that when reading Song of Solomon, we need to see that it is Jesus talking to His Bride, the church. When we are talking to non-believers about Jesus, what is our countenance? Do we look overjoyed at what He has done for us? Do we look pained and sad when thinking of what He did on the cross? It’s very easy for others to misread our countenance.
When Moses came off the mountain after spending time with God, his face shone. Exodus 34:35 says,
“And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone…”
Moses’ countenance reflected that he had been in the Presence of the Lord.
Too bad it’s not that easy for us to see when someone has been in the Presence of the Lord now. Moses was the leader of the Hebrews at that time and it was most important for him to spend time with God. But in this case, it was evident in his face
One time at a special service when an evangelist from Uganda was visiting my church, I had a spirit of joy descend upon me and I must have laughed with joy for about 15 minutes straight. Now, my countenance would have reflected my joy at being in the Presence of the Lord that night!
My point in all this is to be aware of the face you are showing to others, especially when you are ministering to an unbeliever. They are searching not just your words to them, but what they see in your face.
Linda Garrett
January 2013
This is something we all need to think about, Linda. People cannot read our thoughts most of the time, and so they may misinterpret what we are feeling by only seeing someone's face which may be showing worldy concerns or something different from what is in our hearts. It is something to be careful about. Good write!
ReplyDeleteLove and God bless.