Walking in the Light of His Countenance

by Tiffany S.
from Virtuous Daughters, February 2012~Volume 11, Number 11

“Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of Thy countenance. In Thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For Thou art the glory of their strength: and in Thy favor our horn shall be exalted. For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our King.” ~Psalm 89:15–18~
 
My sister’s diligent efforts in studying for the local Bible Bee competition culminated in a grand vacation to Bible Bee Nationals which our entire family was able to enjoy. Thus, on this particular November day, I found myself in a dazzling hotel in Schaumburg, Illinois, surrounded by godly, likeminded believers who truly treasured God’s Word.

I was in the process of running an errand when I overheard a conversation between two young men on the hotel elevator. One of them, having noticed the other’s Bible Bee contestant shirt, asked, “How is your test day going?” When the contestant replied that all seemed to be going well, the young man continued, “Are you ready to dominate the Bible?”

I felt stunned. Immediately, my heart was filled with grief and disappointment at the sound of one esteeming God’s Word in such an irreverent manner. As if any mere human could possibly supersede God’s holy, inerrant, immutable Word! How I longed to lovingly but firmly refute his statement! Before my mind could collect a response, however, the contestant spoke up, smiling in obvious earnestness: “I don’t believe the Bible can be dominated.”

Visibly embarrassed, the other young man made feeble attempts to rectify his original statement. “Well, yeah,” he stammered, “but, well, be dominated by the Bible . . . you know what I mean.”

As the elevator reached its destination, the contestant thought for one brief moment before he said, “I do want my life to be controlled by God’s Word.”

​[I want to clarify that the National Bible Bee in no way endorses or facilitates inappropriate attitudes toward God’s Word. Rather, the contestant’s response in this story is a more accurate picture of what God is using the Bible Bee to work in families all across the nation. The person who made the other statement was not even enrolled in the Bible Bee, and I do believe that he did not intend to be irreverent toward God’s Word. He seemed caught up in the excitement of the event, and simply used the wrong words. However, the object lesson I gained from the situation became the foundation for others, including this article.]

This scenario left an impression on me. Though I had initially felt panged at God’s Word being spoken of in such an insolent manner, I was encouraged by the contestant’s meaningful rejoinder. And, I found myself personally challenged—was I living a life completely controlled by God’s Word? It’s my heartfelt desire, of course, but how easily are we distracted from the one Book that matters above all others! Not that we should be controlled by “the words” only, but by The Word—Jesus  Christ Himself (John 1)!

Do we understand the message behind that simple sentence: “I want my life to be controlled by God’s Word.” Ask yourself, honestly, what is controlling your life? It could be your friends, music, the world, a selfish heart. It could be something quite noble in itself—such as an older, wiser Christian or a Bible curriculum—but if that thing has begun to control your life more than God’s Word, then that thing has become an idol. Anytime we place something before Christ—however “good” that thing is—we are committing idolatry.

Ultimately, Jesus Christ is the One Who should control our lives. He is the living Word! As Jim Elliot said, the Bible never gets to be “old stuff,” because it is “Christ in print, the living Word.” Therefore, being controlled by the precious truths and principles of Scripture—not in a legalistic manner, but in a Spirit-led, God-honoring way—is our personal goal as Christians.

Psalm 89:15–17 has become a precious passage of Scripture in my life: “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of Thy countenance. In Thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For Thou art the glory of their strength: and in Thy favor our horn shall be exalted.”
 
~Knowing the Joyful Sound
I had noticed the “shining countenances” of fellow believers, and I pondered: “What makes their face shine? Why do they so obviously radiate Christ? Why do I instantly see Jesus in their lives? What makes them stand out?” Psalm 89 seems to contain the answer! These Christians know the joyful sound! Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice, and they know Him, and they follow Him (John 10). Dear sisters, our Savior’s voice—His leading and guidance, the promptings of the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures—is a joyful sound. Do we recognize it, as His sheep?

The Gospel message is also a joyful sound! Are we allowing the hope of our eternal
inheritance to pervade everything we do? Are we so grateful to belong to Jesus, that we continually rejoice at the message of salvation? Also, we are commanded in Psalm 100 to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Specifically, are we listening to God-honoring music that delights the Lord? In essence, do we truly know the joyful sounds that a Christian should recognize instantly? Or are we so filled with the world or our own selfish flesh that we cannot love and take pleasure in the things He loves and delights in?

~Walking in the Light of His Countenance
What does it mean to walk in the light of God’s countenance? God’s glory is majestic and indescribable; the full meaning of walking in the light of it is beyond my finite mind’s comprehension, and much more than I can fathom! Still, one central aspect of it, I think, is allowing our lives to be controlled by the Lord and His Word. You see, Christ is the light of the world—in Him is no darkness (1 John 1:5). Therefore, we must allow His light—Himself--to fill our lives, in order to radiate Him. Walking in the light of His countenance means that we are living in subjection to our Lord, that we are spending time with Him, and that He is the supreme object of our being.
As children of God, one of our goals is to be conformed to the very image of our Savior (Romans 12:1). This can certainly happen by walking in the light of His countenance! I would encourage you to pray the following Scriptures, because only by God’s grace is it possible to imitate our Savior and walk in the Spirit. We must earnestly seek (Psalm 27) His blessing and guidance. The glorious light of our Lord will sanctify, cleanse, convict, and purify our hearts and minds. But we must do our part to desire, seek after, and accept His grace! When we look to the Lord, we are filled with light, and our faces are not ashamed (Psalm 34:5). What a glorious promise—praise be to God!

“. . . I shall yet praise Him, Who is the health of my countenance,
and my God.”—Psalm 42:11

“The LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”—Numbers 6:26

“. . . LORD, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us.”—Psalm 4:6
“Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant: save me for Thy mercies’ sake.”
—Psalm 31:16

“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us; Selah.”—Psalm 67:1

“Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant; and teach me Thy statutes.”
—Psalm 119:135

Before we were saved, we were lost in darkness. But as Christians, we are “in Christ.” This means that we have been called out of darkness and into His glorious light! 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”

What, then, is the purpose of a “shining countenance”? Why should we radiate Christ’s light to others in this world? Simply put, it is to bring glory to God; the light that pervades our countenance is the presence of Jesus Christ, the absence of our selfish flesh. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”—Matthew 5:16

In fact, Matthew 13:43 explains that in heaven “shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Therefore, to glow with the light and love of Christ now is for others to experience a little taste of heaven on earth!
 
~Rejoicing in Him All the Day
It is interesting to note that Scripture clearly links a radiant countenance to time with God. The precious words of life contained in the Bible are most certainly a “joyful sound,” and applying them reaps rich blessings. Following is an example:
“But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone . . .”—Exodus 34:34–35  (This verse has special significance to me, because I prayed earnestly for the salvation of one of my younger brothers when it appeared that the Holy Spirit was drawing him. Then, the night he was saved, he walked into my bedroom to share the blessed assurance that Jesus was his, and his face radiated unexplainably. My eyes filled with tears as I beheld his joyful, glowing countenance, evidence of the new creature that he had become in Christ.)

Psalm 1:1–3 provides a beautiful description of a Christian who relishes time with the Lord in His Word. These moments with our Savior should be our greatest delight, and as we meditate on the Scripture, we will grow spiritually and reap blessings not limited to this life. As we are rooted in God’s Word, we will find not find ungodly company and those who scorn God’s Word attractive.

Again, I cannot possibly over-emphasize the fact that to truly radiate Christ, we must abide in Him (John 15). It must be His life lived through ours. As Galatians 2:20 beautifully illustrates: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”—John 8:12 If we are walking in His light, we can be certain that our path will shine “more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18). This “path” that we are trekking is actually the footsteps of Jesus—He left us an example that we should follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21). The path of the wicked, on the other hand, is darkness—they are so blinded and corrupted that they do not even know what they are stumbling on (Proverbs 4:18).

Do we rejoice in the name of our Lord continuously? The key to joy is simply Jesus—recognizing daily His love and mercy and faithfulness. If we are constantly irritated and frustrated, then our focus is thwarted; we’re looking to ourselves or our circumstances rather than to our Savior, Who gives us life, joy, and gladness. “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”—Psalm 16:11
 
~Exalted in the Righteousness of Almighty God
We are exalted in our Lord’s righteousness. What a powerful truth! If it were not for the sinless Lamb of God slain for our sin, we would be destined to eternal death. However, He has reconciled us to God by His great sacrifice. This is an awesome reason to rejoice! We are exalted, not by anything that we have done, but by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Through Christ’s righteousness, we can confidently approach the Father for His strength to shine as lights in this perverse, crooked world. Hebrews 4:16 is such an encouragement: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Dear sisters, if we have been justified by faith through the grace of God, then we have peace with God through Christ. This gives us access to the Father, and we can rejoice in the hope of God’s glory (Romans 5:1–2 & Psalm 34:5)!
 
~The Glory of Our Strength
God is the glory of our strength. Anything worthy in our lives is simply the manifestation of His grace and faithfulness. We look to Him continually, our King, and we rely on Him every step of the journey. Do we portray this message to others, or are we communicating pride, arrogance, and discontentment?

If we love Him wholeheartedly (as we desire to do), then He will be all that ultimately matters in our lives. True fervor and enthusiasm regarding our Savior cannot be contained—it is inevitably shared with others! Yet we must strive for more than head knowledge—these truths must become heart application.  

~Parting Thoughts
Other Scriptural principles that I discovered regarding this area of “shining for Christ” are:

—Allowing God to work through us as we live for and obey Him in a joyful manner. We must keep His commands (John 15). “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”—Philippians 2:13–16

—Becoming wise by asking God for wisdom (James 1) and saturating our minds in Scripture. “. . . a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine . . . “—Ecclesiastes 8:1 I find this interesting because God promises to give wisdom liberally if we simply ask for it in faith! Therefore, the connection between a shining countenance and time with God and in His Word is once again illustrated. “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”—Daniel 12:3

One father shared the following encouragement regarding time with our King:

“‘Who is as the wise man? And who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom maketh this face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be challenged. I counsel thee to keep the kings’ commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. Where the word for a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou? Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.’—Ecclesiastes 8:1–5 

“Wisdom will make your face shine . . . Part of being wise is to keep God’s commandments, don’t let situations or circumstances lead you away from God’s commandments.
    
“As Americans, we do not have an earthly king, but we do have a heavenly King. Whether you are in church, doing daily devotions, or in prayer, never be in a hurry to leave His presence. Life is busy, but He is worth the time. Where the word of the King is, there is power! Don’t become so busy with life that you forget your power source.
    
“Song of Solomon 2:15: ‘Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.’ It is the little foxes that spoil the vine or to put it another way, it is the little things in life that can diminish our walk with God. As a young man, I was able to dedicate myself to reading the Bible cover-to-cover in a couple of months. I didn’t understand how people couldn’t finish their Bible reading in a year. I told this to an older man at church, and he smiled and said, ‘Let’s see how you do in your 30s and 40s with your Bible reading.’ It now takes me over a year to complete my reading, due to the little things that steal my time away from the Lord. Watch out for the time stealers in life.”
 

As inspiring as it is to write or read about such beautiful, life-changing principles, I know from personal experience that truly living them out is quite a different matter. Let us pray for each other as we endeavor to be virtuous daughters who love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Dear sisters, what an encouragement it is to meet godly believers who are walking with God! Their faces shine because they are filled with the love and light of Jesus Christ their Savior. They recognize His voice and it is as sweet music to their ears. They are rejoicing in His name all day long. In short, Jesus is “all the world” to them. May this be our testimony, as well.

“Father, I want to know Thee, but my cowardly heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there shall be no night there. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”--The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer