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Over the last couple months, we’ve been looking at God’s interaction with light—he created the light, he controls the light, his presence is light, and he turns darkness into light. But what happens when that light touches us? One of the most common prayers associated with God’s light is some version of “may your face shine on us,” as we see in the blessing from Numbers 6:
Numbers 6:24-26: 24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’”
What does it mean for God to shine his face on us? When God shines his face on someone, it is a sign of God’s favor on that person, and it brings with it a whole host of benefits. Let’s look at 10 benefits of God’s face shining on us in this week’s lesson.
1. We Have Salvation
One of the most frequently mentioned benefits of God’s face shining on us is that we have salvation. I’ll only list one verse here, but keep an eye open for this as you read the rest of the lesson. You’ll see salvation or being saved multiple times.
Psalm 31:16: Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
2. We Experience God’s Grace
Another benefit of God’s face shining on us is that we experience God’s grace and blessing. I usually think of God’s grace as giving us a blessing that we don’t deserve. In contrast, I think of mercy as God not giving us the punishment that we do deserve. God’s grace and blessing are significant signs of God’s favor on a person.
Psalm 67:1-2: 1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
Why does God give grace and blessing to those he favors? So that we will make him known on the earth.
3. We Know God’s Glory in Christ
We’ve already seen that God’s glory is visible as light. When God shines his light on us, our hearts are illuminated with the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:4-6: 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
What does this really mean? It all ties back to salvation. We are saved by knowing and believing in Jesus. Jesus brings the light of the gospel to us. When God’s light shines in our hearts, we are able to recognize that Jesus is the image of God and is the exact representation of his glory (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus IS God.
4. We Are Restored
When we are living in darkness, our relationship with God is broken. When God’s light shines on us, that relationship can be restored.
Psalm 80:1-3: 1 Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth 2 before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
come and save us.
3 Restore us, O God;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.
This idea of God restoring us for our salvation is repeated again in verses 7 and 19. The only way we can be saved is if God does the act to restore us to a right relationship with him.
5. We Are Healed
Along with the idea of restoration is healing. When our relationship with God is broken, we often have wounds, visible and invisible, that need healing. God’s light on us can heal those wounds.
Isaiah 30:26: The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.
6. We Have Victory
God’s light also gives us victory over the enemy and brings us into the land that he has promised.
Psalm 44:3: It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.
7. We Have Prosperity
Once God brings us to the life that he has prepared for us, he won’t just leave us to our own defenses. He will continue the blessing and bring us prosperity. But that prosperity is only possible if we stay in God’s light.
Psalm 4:6: Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.
8. We Learn How to Obey Him
A person who is saved desires to be obedient to God. God has given us his Word to help us know how to live. When God’s face shines on us, it gives us the desire to be in his Word, to be in fellowship with him, so that we can follow his commands and live a life that pleases him.
Psalm 119:135: Make your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.
9. We Have Life
When we are living in darkness, we are destined for death. But when God’s light shines on us, we are delivered from death and brought into the light of life.
Ephesians 5:13-14: 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
Psalm 56:12-13: 12 I am under vows to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
The Bible tells us that Jesus experienced this light of life after his death and resurrection.
Isaiah 53:11: After he [Jesus] has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, which allows us to be justified before God. When we stand before God in judgment, he will see us with Jesus’ righteousness rather than our sins. This is the path to life.
10. We Have Peace
Finally, once we are saved and living in God’s light, we have peace. We saw this in the blessing from Numbers 6 at the start of the lesson. We also see this promise in Luke 1.
Luke 1:76-79: 76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
When we have the knowledge of salvation, when our sins have been forgiven through the gift of Christ’s death on the cross, when God in his mercy shines his light on us, when he calls us out of the darkness and into the light of life, then we will have peace.
Conclusion
God’s light shining on us leads us out of the darkness and into his light of life, which brings us salvation, grace, healing, restoration, peace, and so many other blessings. Have you stepped into God’s light? If not, what are you waiting for?
Premium Resources
Each individual characteristic of God study will come with two resources: a word search just for fun (including an answer key), and a list of verses for if you want to investigate that individual characteristic of God more completely.
You can access these resources by clicking here: God Is Light Resources
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