Face-to-Face
Ephesians 3:19 says, ironically, that we can know a love that surpasses knowledge. I think Rich Mullins captured the heart of Paul’s prayer as beautifully as anyone ever has in his song “The Love of God”. Here is a snippet:
Joy and sorrow are this ocean
And in their every ebb and flow
Now the Lord a door has opened
That all hell could never close
Here I'm tested and made worthy
Tossed about but lifted up
In the reckless raging fury
That they call the love of God
In my role as a manager of several businesses, I am constantly tossed about with unwelcome surprises. For example, early last Christmas morning I received a call when one of our locations was flooded by a broken water pipe. Another recent surprise was a Friday evening notification that one of my companies is being sued by a former employee. The ebb and flow of my work life has no regard for the peaceful, still waters I long for. The steady waves of disruption produce a compounding anxiety in my heart.
We are told in scripture to “Cast all your anxiety upon him because he cares for you.” (1 Pet 5:7) I keep this verse in mind often, but I’m just beginning to understand the last part of this verse, which I believe is the key to being able to obey the command—not just that he cares for me but the way he cares for me.
The love of God is always more than one can describe, but throughout scripture, God’s love is depicted as “face to face”, or intimate. Jacob saw God face to face (Gen 32:30). Moses’s relationship with God was described as “face to face” (Ex 33:11). Paul promised in the love chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 that “we shall see face to face” and “know fully, even as I am fully known.” Oh, to understand the peace of being “fully known” by a loving God!
Intimacy, though, isn’t always lilies and roses, but it beats disengagement and isolation. In my industry (seniors housing), we have learned that isolation is connected to higher rates of morbidity, infection, depression, and cognitive decline. In other words, ironically, those who hide out to avoid germs, confrontations, discomfort, etc., are actually in more danger of losing their lives. To flourish, we need to have intimate relationships, even ones that are difficult.
Face-to-face encounters with God and others can be unpleasant. How many times have I avoided confrontation and sought a shallow peace instead? How often do I drown my desire for real intimacy with entertaining distractions?
Job’s encounter with God resulted in him despising himself and repenting in dust and ashes (Job 42:6) Jacob’s “face-to-face” meeting with God left him permanently injured. C.S. Lewis reminded us in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe God isn’t safe, but he’s good. Mullins called God’s love a “reckless raging fury.” Wouldn’t you rather be face to face with God, though, than with your back turned to him?
Being face-to-face intimate with God is critical to casting away anxiety, and the key to being filled with the fullness of God’s love. Facing the waves means recognizing they are under God’s loving control and mercy.
I also believe that growing deeper in healthy, loving relationships with others will keep me from stewing over life’s constant attacks. Why worry about what tomorrow will bring when I can be fully present with loved ones today?
My challenge to the reader is to put aside any distractions and meet God face to face. Encounter his invitations to intimacy in Scripture, especially the gospels. He fully knows you and desires that you fully know him. Likewise, God has put people in your life whom you are to love deeply. Arrange a time to meet face to face with one of them. You will then likely feel the anxieties of life cast themselves away as you greet each other with a warm hug. May we’ll be able to sing with Mullins:
There's a wideness in God's mercy
I cannot find in my own
And He keeps His fire burning
To melt this heart of stone
Keeps me aching with a yearning
Keeps me glad to have been caught
In the reckless raging fury
That they call the love of God
Watch Mullins struggle to perform the rest of it here:
