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May 11, 202 0 - Join Pastor John for a Daily Devotional

May 11, 2020 by Rev. John Hartman

“The Face of Jesus”

I heard the story of a young mother who died of cancer, leaving behind her husband and their little boy. The man and the little boy came home from the funeral at the cemetery. And in the grief of his pain, this young father could think of nothing to do but to go to bed. And so, he put the little boy to bed and then he went to his own room. As he was lying there in the darkness, he heard the little boy in the next room say, “Daddy, where’s Mommy? When is Mommy coming home?”

Empathetic to what the little boy was going through, he got up, when into his room, scooped up his son in his arms, and brought him back into the bedroom, placed him down on the bed, and let him sleep in the bed with him that night. But the little boy couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned and kept asking those heartbreaking questions that have no good answers. And then in the darkness, this dad felt a little hand reaching out and feeling his face. And the little boy said, “Daddy, is your face turned toward me?” The father said, “Yes.” The boy said, “Well Daddy, if your face stays turned toward me, I think I can fall asleep.” And a few minutes later, all the father heard was the rhythmic breathing of his little boy having fallen asleep. And then, the father began to pray, “God, it’s dark down here and I don’t know which way to turn. But I’ll tell you, if your face stays turned toward me, I think I can make it.”

Friends, whatever your darkness today, whatever fear, fatigue, worry, struggle, or crisis that comes to you in the middle of night, -- your Father’s face is already turned toward you. And that is the face of Jesus Christ himself. I love the words to that old hymn, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim. In the light of His glory and grace.” It is the face of Jesus will get us through all the darkness we are facing, and will face in this world.