To have Him walk in the darkness of my face ...

Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face … Psalm 89:15 (ESV)

God my God, my Father God,
I must confess to Thee that too often I am like those who does not know the festal shout.
Surely I have heard it from Thy servants!
Surely I have read it from Thy sacred Scriptures!
Surely I have proclaimed this festal shout!
Yet just as surely, I have not known this shout!
For too often my itching ears long for some other shout that will say and save what my sinful flesh hungers for.
And I have made my walk, not in the light of Thy face, but in the light of men’s faces,
Hoping that in the light of their faces I shall hear the shouts that will set me free to indulge myself and forget my responsibilities to God and my neighbor.
Yet, I find that in the light of their faces and in the sounds of their shouts –
there is no light, no shout that can that set me free from me and the darkness that is mine in sin.
How sadly do I lament that so often it is only here, in the bondage of my own sinful darkness,
that I long to hear and know that festal shout.
How sadly do I lament that too often it is only here,
in the darkness that all human light brings,
that I long to see the “light of your face”,
let alone walk in it.
Yet it is here, in this darkness that I fear the festal shouts,
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 (ESV)
What God, what a glorious God is He who has loves us, loves me!
What God is so loving that He sends His Son,
to have Him know my sinful shout,
and know the deafening silence of God against my sinful shout,
that I might forever hear and know the festal shout of God’s forgiveness in His Son.
What God is so loving that He sends His Son,
to have Him walk in the darkness of my face and walk in the darkness of God’s face against my darkened face,
that I might forever walk the light of Lord’s forgiving face upon me in His Son.
What is the Festal shout?
What is the light of God’s face?
Surely it only and always the Lord Jesus Christ, 
only begotten Son of God and Son of man. 

Give me ears to hear Thy festal shout!
Lead my heart to walk in the light of Thy face!
Make my spirit to exalt in Thy name!
Exalt me in Thy righteousness,
because Thou art the glory of my strength,
and by Thy good favor, my horn is exalted.
Exalt me in Thy righteousness,
because my shield belongs to Thee O Lord,
my King, my Holy One, my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. (Ps 89:16-18)

- pmwl