If you look to him for help, he will put a smile on your face. You will have no need to be ashamed.
What does your face look like? Is it a happy face, or a sad face? Does it look normal, or is it red with shame? The appearance of a person’s face says a lot about their spiritual state, for the face is a window to the soul. You can tell a lot about someone just by looking at their face. You can see if everything is good, or if something is bothering them.
Our verse for today tells us that the state of your face is also dependent upon your answer to a religious question. It is dependent upon your answer to the question of who you trust for help. Ultimately, do you trust God, the source of all things and the sustainer of all things? Or do you look to one of the many God-substitutes people have trusted instead of Him? Your answer has important implications.
If you place your trust in God, then our verse says He “will put a smile on your face.” That is, He will actually reward your trust by helping you and, as a result, make you joyful. This does not mean that believers in God are never sad. A cursory reading of the Psalms is enough to prove that point. But it does mean that God will walk with you in times of trouble and cause your soul to be joyful. It means that ultimately, at rock bottom, the person who trusts God has a lot to be happy about, even when things are not going well.
Further, if you place your trust in God, our verse says that you “will have no need to be ashamed.” That is, God will remove whatever condemnation has been heaped upon you (by yourself or others) when trust follows repentance. This does not mean that believers in God never have any reason to be ashamed. Again, the Psalms themselves prove that point. But it does mean that God will forgive and thereby remove the red in your face. It means that those who trust in God will overcome their shame.
So look to Him Who is the only One Who can help. You may just find yourself smiling when the world least expects it.
By John Huisman, friend of Bible League International
