A Smile from God

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Friday, August 07, 2015

May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
— Numbers 6:25

In the song, "Positively Fourth Street," Bob Dylan sings, "I wish that for just one time, you could stand inside my shoes. You'd know what a drag it is to see you."

Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California and Harvest Orange County in Irvine, California, shares the Gospel with a sold-out crowd of 19,000 for Harvest America at the American Airlines Center and Victory Park in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 5, 2014. | (Photo: rever Hoehne for Harvest Ministries)

We may think that God feels that way about us sometimes: "Oh, what a drag. Greg is here. Hi, Greg." But that is not how God feels about us. He smiles.

Think about when someone you really love shows up. Your face lights up, doesn't it? That is how God is with us.

In contrast, have you ever noticed how idols are always frowning? I have visited museums where I have seen various idols, and they always look like they are mad about something. They are never smiling.

But that is not God. He looks at us and smiles. He loves to bless us. And here is something else we may not know: He sings over us. Zephaniah 3:17 says, "For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs." I love that.

Recently I was pushing my granddaughter on the swing, and as I pushed her I was singing to her. I took the Chris Tomlin song, "Sing, Sing, Sing" but instead sang, "Swing, swing, swing." Since then, whenever I ask her if she wants to go swing, she'll start singing, "Swing, swing, swing." She knows what that song is associated with. I sing over my granddaughter. I sing her Christian songs. I sing her biblical lyrics. I want them to be ingrained in her little mind so she remembers them.

God sings over you. He delights to be in your presence. And I hope you delight to be in His.

Copyright © 2015 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000 Used with Permission