Praying the Smile of Jesus to Heal Your Image of God

Jesus smiles at you! Can you feel the warmth of his grin shining on you when you close your eyes and imagine him?

The image of a smiling Savior is hidden from some people. Thankfully, studying the Gospels shows us otherwise.

Luke tells us Jesus “rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit” (Luke 10:21 NASB). John shows us that our Good Shepherd desires to share the “full measure” of this joy with us (John 15:11;  17:13). It’s likely that Jesus smiled often as a healthy, growing child when his parents cared for him and played with him (Luke 2:40). He illustrates the nature that he and Abba share by telling us a story about a father who throws an elaborate party to enjoy the return of his wayward son (Luke 15:32).

This is why Paul taught that God’s Word is for washing our minds (Ephesians 5:26). It’s easy for the dirt of sinful choices, hurtful words, bad memories, or harmful images to smudge the lens through which we see God and the Bible.

For example, we might unconsciously visualize the face of someone from childhood who used to frown at us when we pray to God now. The anger, criticism, or worry we experienced from others can live in our hearts and affect our image of God.

This leads to us “knowing” that God loves us theologically but unable to embrace his affection experientially. Our actual belief is that he might disappoint or hurt us somehow.

Beholding Jesus’ smile is the gentle and powerful remedy that heals our hearts. His face shines with the Father’s affection for us and assures us of our forgiveness and belovedness (Hebrews 1:3).

This is why the most important image you need to see regularly is Jesus smiling at you. This will wash away all the frowns you’ve internalized. Then a smile will come to your face that blesses your Heavenly Father and those around you.

So how can Jesus’ smile become your most frequent vision when spending time with God? It happens through intentional training to delight in Abba.

To help you live in the smile of God, I’d like to share a breath prayer inspired by the Psalms (Psalm 18:19; 37:4, 23). Breath prayers help you abide in Christ all day by repeating short, simple phrases from Scripture.

You might try praying along with this breathing rhythm to absorb the wonderful and healing image of Jesus smiling at you:

• Breathe in deeply (with a smile!) as you whisper or think: “Jesus delights in me…”
• Breathe out (still smiling!) as you whisper or think: “I delight in you, my Lord.”

It’s helpful to slowly and softly repeat this process over and over again until it gets deep in your heart. You can also invite the Spirit to show you Jesus’ smile in your imagination.

Then you can pause to pray as often as you remember throughout your day. One breath. One prayer. One smile. I pray this simple practice helps you share in God’s delight!

Looking for more practices to cultivate Jesus’ joy? The Soul Shepherding Breath Prayer Guides include 40 one-page guided meditations (like the prayer above) to renew your soul by connecting with God through his Word. Our Surprising Joy Advent Cards also include Scripture meditations and beautiful illustrations to help you experience Jesus through the Christmas story in a surprisingly fresh and delightful way. They are perfect for you, your family, or small group this holiday season.

This article is submitted by Soul Shepherding. Soul Shepherding is a Missio Nexus member.  Member organizations can provide content to the Missio Nexus website. See how by clicking here.