The Smiling Face of God -Roger Ellsworth

[b]The Smiling Face of God[/b]

This may come as a shock to many. The popular notion of God has Him sitting in heaven and smiling benighnly upon us no matter what we choose to do. We seem to have forgotten what Isaiah brings out about God - His habitation is one of [b]"holiness"[/b] and [b]"glory"[/b] (63:15). We have become broadminded and tolerant of sin, jesting about it and winking at it; but God remains unalterably opposed to it. We may negotiate with sin and ultimately declare detente with it, but God never will. When we begin to smile complacently upon sin, He stops smiling on us and turns His face away.

Does this surprise you? It should not. God long ago established this as His policy toward sin in the lives of His people. He left no doubt about this early in the history of the people of Israel. Here is how He promised to deal with their sins: "I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so, that they will say in that day, 'Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?' and I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they turned unto other gods." (Deut. 31:17-18).

Nothing is more satisfying and thrilling than living in the consciousness of God smiling upon us, and nothing is more dreadful than living without that smile. Is this not the reason the church is as she is? She has all kings of slick promotions, attractive programs, and entertaining preachers, but she is not really seeing the fullness of God's blessings because He has been grieved by her sins and has turned His face away. [b]Let us, therefore, join Henry F. Lyte in praying: "God of mercy, God of grace, show the brightness of thy face."[/b]

[i]From the book: Come Down Lord by Roger Ellsworth[/i]

Yes! like Richard Owen Roberts says: "Ohhhhhh for days of refreshing, times of God with us! how glorious." I cannot put enough emphasis on the "Ohhhh" it made it so real, we don't understand that times of revival are so glorious, HEAVEN ON EARTH! there is no place I would rather be should be our desire. "I would rather be moved or be removed." -Leonard Ravenhill. Lord move us and bring revival! is our prayer.