Seeing God Clearly

I Will Not Hide My Face Again

Reading: Ezekiel 39:21–29

The Spirit Who Restores and Remains

I will no longer hide my face from them, 

for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel,

declares the Sovereign Lord.

 Ezekiel 39:29

Ezekiel speaks to a people who had known defeat, exile, shame, and distance from God. Their suffering revealed the seriousness of sin and the sorrow of living apart from the Lord. Yet the passage does not end in judgment, but in mercy. God promises to restore His people, gather them from the nations, and reveal His holiness through their renewal.

At the heart of this promise is the tender word: “I will no longer hide my face from them.” In Scripture, God’s face represents His favor, presence, and blessing. To live before His face is to live in His light. C.S. Lewis reminds us that the instrument through which we see God is our whole self. When our lives are clouded by pride, bitterness, selfishness, or division, our vision of God becomes blurred, “like the Moon seen through a dirty telescope.” The Spirit cleanses the lens of the soul, removes shame, heals distance, purifies the heart, and restores us to communion with God.

Lewis also reminds us that we are not meant to see God alone. God reveals Himself through a redeemed community—people united in love, helping one another, and showing Him to one another. Like players in one band or members of one body, the Spirit forms us into a people through whom God’s glory can be seen. As we journey toward Pentecost, we pray not only for personal renewal, but for shared renewal: that the Spirit would cleanse our hearts, unite us in love, and make our lives clear windows through which Christ may be seen.

Prayer:
 Lord, cleanse the lens of our hearts. Restore us to the joy of God’s presence, heal our shame and distance, and unite us as the Body of Christ. Help us live in the light of the Father’s face, so that through our shared life the world may see Jesus. Amen.