The Face of Christ

Meeting God in the Light of Christ

Reading : 2 Corinthians 4:1–16

For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’

 made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light 

of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 

 2 Corinthians 4:6

Paul begins this passage with mercy: “Since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1). That is where every true meeting with God begins—not in our strength, but in His compassion. We come before Him with weakness, failure, and need, knowing how far we are from the people He created us to be. Yet God does not leave us in darkness. The same God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” shines into our hearts through Jesus Christ. Sadhu Sundar Singh beautifully wrote that Christ is the True Light who drives out darkness, while the Holy Spirit, like holy fire, burns away sin and makes us pure. God does not remain distant. He enters our darkness and begins His work within us.

Paul also says that this treasure is carried “in jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7). God places His light in fragile, ordinary lives so that the power will clearly belong to Him and not to us. “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8). Carlo Carretto wrote that God sometimes wounds us in order to draw out the best in us. This helps us understand why suffering can become a place of grace. Paul says we carry in our bodies “the death of Jesus,” so that “the life of Jesus may also be revealed” (2 Corinthians 4:10). Our weakness does not keep God away. Often it becomes the very place where His grace shines most clearly. We do not find peace by trusting in our own goodness, but by trusting in the goodness of Christ.

So Paul says again, “We do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. We still see dimly, but one day we shall see God face-to-face. Until then, we walk by mercy, carrying His treasure in our weakness, trusting that His light will lead us home.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for shining the light of Christ into our hearts. Help us not to lose heart in weakness or suffering, but to trust Your mercy and power. Let the life of Jesus shine through us until the day we see You face-to-face. Amen.