God's smile

Psalms 67

1 God, mark us with grace
and blessing! Smile!
2 The whole country will see how you work,
all the godless nations see how you save.
3 God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
Let all people thank and enjoy you.
4 Let all far-flung people become happy
and shout their happiness because
You judge them fair and square,
you tend the far-flung peoples.
5 God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
Let all people thank and enjoy you.
6 Earth, display your exuberance!
You mark us with blessing, O God, our God.
7 You mark us with blessing, O God.
Earth's four corners — honor him!
THE MESSAGE

This is another Psalm that gave me a big smile.  We often think of God as a judge, with a big gavel, from a black and white movie.  We see Him as a man watching for people to mess up, watching with a shrewd eye, so He can dole out His justice.  When people are having a rough time some will even wonder what sin they committed, or the individual will wonder what they did wrong to deserve this.  It's not like that.  Like we read in the last Psalm, part of being a believer is being refined like silver in fire.  He knows we need to gain strength through the hard times so we can shout all the louder in the end.  God's judgments are fair and square.  He wants us to be happy and thankful.  To see our blessings.    

One day Jesus and the disciples had a conversation while walking past a blind man,

John 9:2-7
2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.  4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.  5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
NKJV

Sometimes Christians come off as being very serious. We forget joy and compassion.  We forget God's smile.  I know He has a sense of humor, just look at the kangaroo.  What a silly animal- they hop on two feet and come with a pouch to carry their babies. How cool is that? How did He ever come up with the color hot pink?  He used it on flowers, snakes and different places.  Butterflies are so amazing.  They start out as caterpillars crawling about, become a cocoon and transform into swallowtails.  Amazing!  Sometimes I can feel His smile, like when I ask Him to show me where the good shots are to photograph.  Or when I finally get it after trying to figure out a problem.  When I simply surrender and say, "Forgive me, You're will be done."

This Psalm describes us as a happy people filled with joy, marked by blessing.  When I quit my last job, I knew I'd done the right thing, 3 hours of commuting each day and 9 hour days in the office.  My car was racking up more miles than the money I was earning to replace it.  I quit with a huge smile on my face.  It drove the bosses crazy, "Why is she smiling?"  So I'd tell them I'm a Christian.  Some of the ladies said, "I knew it!"  Which was a great encouragement, because sometimes I don't feel very Christian.  That's when I just need faith. God's smile, I can't explain it.  It comes from deep within us, and surrounds us from Heaven. 

Nehemiah 8:10
"...Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
NKJV

If you don't feel like smiling today.  That's ok too, sometimes we're not supposed to.