I have read Psalm 4 more times than I can count. I’ve gone over and over each word allowing the chapter to penetrate my heart. When my oldest son was small, every time he would become angry over something, I would quote him verse 4, “Be angry, and do not sin…”
Today, while spending some time in the Word, I opened it to this familiar passage of scripture and continued reading through the rest of the chapter. Verse 6 left me stunned. It was as if I had never read it before.
There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?” Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
-Psalm 4:6 (N.K.J.V.)
Right now, throughout my journey with grief, I’ve been searching for good in my situation. And, because I’m always honest with you, I will tell you that until this moment I was struggling to see any good at all. However, after reading this verse, I looked up the word countenance just so I could have a word-for-word description. (Sometimes, looking up words, even the ones we firmly grasp, will help in our quest of understanding scripture.) According to Merriam Webster, it means the appearance of a person’s face: a person’s expression. I then went back and replaced the word countenance with the word face while reading the verse all over again.
There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?” Lord, lift up the light of Your face upon us.
-Psalm 4:6
Mathew Henry begins his commentary on this verse by saying, “Worldly people inquire for good; not for the chief good…” It’s so true. Most people when searching are looking for good coming from outward sources. They hope against hope that the outward “good” they seek will change how they feel inside. Basically, they’re just looking for anything that will bring some sort of happiness.
Here’s the thing about grief: it’s a silent suffering. The heart breaks thunderously loud and the only one who can hear it is the person experiencing the fracture. However, the God who created that heart also feels the break. He hears the bellowing sound and shares the suffering. It’s intimately deep.
The Hebrew word for countenance, as it’s used in Psalm 4:6, is paniym. It means face, as in the part that turns. (Strong’s H6440) This definition brings powerful, impacting, intimacy to the table. The light of God’s face actually turns toward us while sharing in our greatest pain, bringing good to us. What good? Well, isn’t His presence with us good enough? We need to decipher between what is good and good enough. Grief often blinds us from recognition that good enough is always enough to heal the break. It’s more than enough.
You see, I don’t care so much about the outside and what other “good” might make me feel better. All of that is temporary. I’m asking God to turn His face toward me in the midst of my present circumstances, and that MUST be good enough. It has to be. Why? Because I know He heals, and within that healing comes hope for a day when all of this won’t hurt so much.
Friend, searching scripture while being open to learn anew, helps us find grit inside grief. Today, my prayer for myself, and for all of you reading, is that our Father will turn His face toward us and show us His light in the midst of dark heartbreak.
I promise, it’s good enough. He’s good enough.
Love,