“They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.”
– Revelation 22:4 (ESV)

Can you remember that special feeling you had when you met one of your childhood heroes for the first time? The face-to-face encounter was almost too much to take in. I grew up a huge New York Yankee fan. That may seem odd for a young boy from South Carolina, but the explanation is quite simple. Bobby Richardson played second base for the Yankees and his hometown was Sumter, South Carolina, the same town where I was born. Richardson had a wonderful twelve-year major league career playing alongside such Yankee greats as Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra. He was an eight-time All-Star and is the only MLB player to be named World Series MVP from a losing team. I’m always in awe when I’m with Bobby Richardson. The eyes, the smile and his soft-spoken demeanor always have me leaning in to hear what he has to say. And he never fails to deliver a simple, but potentially life changing message. “I’ve come to see that Jesus is my Lord. I’m His personal property and everything I do is His business.” To be in the presence of Bobby Richardson is to see the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

It’s impossible to comprehend what it will be like to see God’s face, but let’s give it some thought. God told Moses that no one could see His face and live. Moses saw God, but not God’s face. 1 Timothy 6:16 says that God “lives in unapproachable light, whom no one as seen or can see.” That’s why the message of Revelation 22:4 demands our attention. In his book Heaven, Randy Alcorn says that for us to see God’s face, some radical change must take place. “Without holiness no will see the Lord. It’s only because we’ll be fully righteous in Christ, completely sinless, that we’ll be able to see God and live.” Our face to face encounter with God is only possible through the blood of Jesus. Alcorn says, “to see God will be our greatest joy, the joy by which all others will be measured.” What will it be like to stand in His presence? What will it be like to see His eyes? Mercy Me attempts to answer this through the lyrics of their song, I Can Only Imagine. “I can only imagine what it will be like when I walk by Your side. I can only imagine what my eyes will see when Your face is before me.”

Heavenly Father, give me a glimpse of Your face today. Help me to better understand the incredible joy I will feel when I see You face to face in Heaven. Amen.