Flowing Faces | The Institute for Creation Research

Flowing Faces

“They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed” (Psalm 34:5).

This is a fascinating verse, speaking of the wonderful afterglow on a believer’s countenance when the Lord has answered an urgent and specific prayer. The previous verse contains such a testimony: “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” So does the following verse: “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (vv.4,6). The answered prayer had been so remarkable that it had even required angelic intervention (v.7), prompting David to exclaim, “O taste and see that the LORD is good” (v.8).

As a result, their very faces, instead of exhibiting shame in defeat, had become “lightened” in triumphant joy. This unique adjective, normally used to describe a fast-flowing stream of water, has a root meaning of something like “sparkle.” As applied to flowing water, the picture is of a fast mountain stream tripping over the rocks in a cascade of jets and bubbles—a “sparkling” stream. When applied to individual believers, it tells us that their faces became “sparkling,” or “radiant.” The King James rendering of “lightened” is as good as any, speaking of such a wonderful deliverance that their countenances seemed actually to “light up” with joy.

Every Christian can also have such a lightened countenance, for the same God who answered their prayers will answer our prayers today when we pray according to His will and ask in faith. “Ask, and ye shall receive,” says the Lord, “that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). As the Lord’s blessing becomes more real with each prayer answered, our countenances may become flowing countenances, and glowing countenances, like a sparkling mountain stream. HMM

The Latest
CREATION PODCAST
Homo Naledi: The Lies Behind Evolution's Rising Star | The Creation...
Homo naledi, once evolution's 'rising star,' was considered to be a prime example of human evolution. But is it really proof? Or...

NEWS
A Subsurface Ocean on Mimas?
Scientists have analyzed data obtained from the Cassini spacecraft and concluded that irregularities in the orbit of Saturn’s moon Mimas indicate...

NEWS
In Theaters March 20 & 21: The Ark and the Darkness
Is Genesis true? What about Noah’s Flood? How did Noah fit the animals on the ark? Wasn’t it a local flood? Have you asked these questions? Though...

NEWS
Enigmatic Fossil Plants
The pre-Flood world thousands of years ago was unlike the world of today.1 Unfamiliar animals and plants were common, and there were a lot...

NEWS
Surprisingly Colorful Fossil Snail Shells
Finding organic compounds such as flexible dinosaur collagen and complete bone cells1,2 is becoming common, much to the shock and consternation...

NEWS
March 2024 ICR Wallpaper
"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." (Matthew 28:6 NKJV) ICR March 2024 wallpaper is now available for mobile, tablet,...

CREATION PODCAST
Homo Erectus: The Shocking Truth About the "Ape Man"...
Homo erectus, or "Upright Man," has been upheld as a piece of mankind's "evolutionary history" since its discovery in 1891....

NEWS
Mystery of Moths' Warning Sound
Insects of all types continue to amaze entomologists with their design and physiology. Cleveland Hickman, Jr., et al. stated, “insect ears are...

NEWS
Geneticist Fired for Affirming Humans Once Lived 900 Years?
Geneticist Alexander Kudryavtsev, the head of the Russian Academy of Science’s Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, has been fired, reportedly...

ACTS & FACTS
Creation Kids: Solar Eclipses
Designed by Susan Windsor* You're never too young to be a creation scientist and explore our Creator's world. Kids, discover fun facts...