Who or What Do You Really Need to Thrive in This Season?

When His Face Shines: What Psalm 80, the Priestly Blessing, and Your Season of Waiting Reveal About God’s Presence

Jul 29, 2025

Jesus is greater than your money, friends, wife, husband, kids, and your own life. Not that you ignore those blessings He gave you, but that you prioritize Him in those blessings He gave you.

God Is Sovereign

What or who do you need to thrive in your season?

My two-year-old carries a purse and a Bluey stuffed animal everywhere she goes. If she has both, there’s a 96.4% chance she’ll sleep through the night. These items feel like life and death for us. (Okay, not really—but close.)

We all have things—items, habits, or people—that make us feel like we’re okay. For me, it’s Jesus, and then it’s my family. As long as I get daily time with God and have my wife and kids close, I know I can face the day heart and head-on.

However, even my family fails me sometimes, and I fail them. The truth is, unless I get in the presence of God, I have nothing.

With Him, I’m a far better husband, father, and friend. In His presence, I receive what I truly need—correction, guidance, hope, even sight for the next step.

So I ask you: Do you have all you need? Or are you still searching for peace?

Psalm 80 and the Shining Face of God

In Psalm 80:3, 7, and 19, the psalmist cries out repeatedly:

“Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.”

Each refrain includes a slightly different name for God:

Elohim (God)
Elohim Tsevaot (God of Hosts)
YHWH Elohim Tsevaot (LORD God of Hosts)

This progression isn’t random—it reflects a spiritual deepening. The psalmist moves from:

Power (Elohim) →
Protection in battle (Elohim Tsevaot) →
Personal covenant Lordship and sovereign warrior (YHWH Elohim Tsevaot)

It’s a picture of growing desperation—and growing intimacy. From believing in God’s power, to trusting His authority in battle, to clinging to His covenant promises as Yahweh, the faithful One.

Echoes of the Priestly Blessing

This repeated cry echoes the Aaronic Blessing from Numbers 6:24–26:

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”

But what does it mean for God’s face to shine on us—especially when Scripture says no one can see God’s face and live (Exodus 33:20)? What are we really asking for?

What Does the Imagery Mean?

1. Face = Presence and Favor

In Hebrew, the word face (pānîm) means relational presence—closeness, attention, and favor.

To see someone’s face means to be welcomed into their presence.

Jacob said, “I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared” (Genesis 32:30).
If God turns His face away—it signifies rejection.
If He lets His face shine on you—it means approval, nearness, and delight.

So when Psalm 80 cries out for God’s face to shine, it’s not asking to physically see God, but for Him to draw near again—to restore the relationship.

2. The Priestly Blessing Is Relational, Not Literal

The original audience knew they couldn’t survive a literal sight of God's full glory. But they also knew something deeper: Shalom comes when God draws near. Without His presence, even physical blessing meant nothing.

That’s why Israel longed to be like chicks under His wing (Psalm 91). To be close to His presence was to live under favor and protection.

3. God’s Hidden Face = Judgment

When God hides His face, it signals divine discipline or judgment (Deuteronomy 31:17–18; Psalm 13:1). So the repeated refrain in Psalm 80 is a desperate plea: “Turn back to us. See us again. Restore us.”

4. Jesus as the Face of God

All of this culminates in Jesus—the ultimate fulfillment of that shining face.

“For God… 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
“Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.”
—John 14:9

Jesus is the answer to the ancient cry:
“Make Your face shine upon us.”

Where Does That Leave You?

Never Finished Challenge: Presence

I love it when a brother or sister in Christ reflects on a day gone sideways and says, “I skipped time with God this morning… and it showed.” That tells me something beautiful: God’s presence is becoming a priority in their life.

And if that’s not you yet, that’s okay—ask God for the zeal of presence. Ask Him to stir your hunger to be with Him.

The issue in the West isn’t that we’re being thrown in jail or burned at the stake for our faith, like in many parts of our modern world and many stories in the Bible.

It’s that we’re comfortable.

We don’t cry out for God until suffering finds us.

But don’t wait. Call on Him now.

The Names of God and Your Faith

When you cry out to God, the name you call Him by reveals what you believe:

Elohim — He’s Creator and Sovereign. Start by growing your relationship with Him through His Word, His world (community and creation), and your worship (what you give your time and attention to).
Elohim Tsevaot — He commands armies. When you trust His authority, even suffering becomes sacred, because you suffer with Him—not apart from Him.
YHWH Elohim Tsevaot — He is your covenant-keeping God. When your identity is rooted in who He is and who you are in Him, no assignment can shake or change your calling.