Advent Devotional by Eric Zahnd

Psalm 80:1-7

Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. (Psalm 80:3, NIV) 

As a child, I had a serious speech impediment. It was so bad that I was held back a year from starting kindergarten out of justifiable fears that my teachers and classmates would not understand anything I said.

I received speech therapy from the time I was four years old through fourth grade. I remember my therapist sitting across from me at a small table, having me look at her face as she pronounced words.

I watched her face move as she sounded out each syllable. I then tried to imitate her actions. Eventually, it worked. I went on to become a high school debater, and today I make my living speaking to judges and jurors, using my voice to seek justice for crime victims. 

The psalmist asks God to “make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.” As I read that verse, I thought of the speech therapist who used her face to shine on me, saving me from the frustration, embarrassment, and even some bullying resulting from my speech defect. I will forever be grateful to all speech therapists for what one of them did to help me.

If a speech therapist can have that sort of impact by shining her face on one child, just imagine the impact of God’s face shining on all of us. As the text reminds us in verse 2, God’s might can save us all.

Of course, none of this means life will always be easy. Later in this same passage, the psalm recounts the tears shed by God’s people and the derision they faced from their enemies.

As followers of Christ, we are not immune to life’s challenges—and they will often be more significant than a child’s correctable speech impediment. Yet we can be confident that God’s face will shine on us, ultimately saving us from every tribulation. That truth should bring us great joy this Christmas season and always.

Eric Zahnd