No egg on my face (and prayer requests)

I know you must be wondering about that title, "No egg on my face."

Lest you think I'm a bit daft, let me assure you that I have a Bible verse to back it up. In fact, let's check out this passage from Psalm 34:

I will extol the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be on my lips.
 I will glory in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me;
    let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame.
 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.
 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers them.

 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:1-8)

Did you see verse five? Oh, I forgot. I removed the verse markers to make it fit nicely on the page. Here it is again, so we can focus on it:

Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame. (v. 5)

You've heard the expression, haven't you? "Egg on your face" means that you have said or done something embarrassing. Kinda like the other expression just for silly things we say: "I put my foot in my mouth." When you have egg on your face you may blush with embarrassment; you may look down and not want to meet people's eyes; you feel like everyone in the place is looking at you and chuckling . . . . 

Why is David saying he is not embarrassed? Because he says he will glory in the Lord; he will list and "brag on" the virtues and the blessings of his God. And we know from the psalms that David was not shy to talk about the promises and strength of the Lord.

Because he was talking about his sovereign Lord and not about himself, David was totally sure that everything would turn out like it should. There was no room in this confident believer for any doubt - he knew that he knew God would bless his faith and hope. There'd be no egg on David's face. 

If we take our eye off the Lord, we may commit an embarrassing sin. If we take our eyes off Him, we may waver. If we lose our focus and look around us instead of looking at our Father, we may miss the blessings and the provision that He makes for His children. That's when our faces might end up covered in shame . . . egg on our faces.

If, however, we seek the Lord in prayer, and His praise is always on our lips, we will be radiant (the root word here in Hebrew indicates cheerfulness, or beaming). We will not be blushing with embarrassment, nor will we be ashamed - He will "come through" for us! We will possess what we have prayed and looked for. We will have what we have believed: deliverance, salvation, and peace.

For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (I Peter 2:6, NIV)

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested stone, A precious cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. The one who believes in it will not be disturbed. (Isaiah 28:16, NASB)

It's a message for us, today, as well as for those in years past. Our faces will not be ashamed. We can rely on God to accomplish what He has promised!

(We'll probably include this psalm in our studies later on; I was reading ahead and this spoke to me. I thought someone might really need to hear this.....)

I hope that if you have prayer requests that you will leave a comment and let us pray, too. Please remember "Catachresis" who studies here; her health is fragile. "Katie Isabella" needs our prayers as she ministers to a family member who is ill. I'm sure that there are others, too, who need our support.

Let's pray.