Lifted Out of the Pit by the Light of His Face
Job was in a pit of despair as his heart cried out for answers. During this time, Elihu emerges and speaks these words to him: “Then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness” (Job 33:26). These words paint a picture of prayer not as a transaction but as a transformative encounter where the soul experiences God’s presence and everything changes.
What did Elihu mean by “he sees his face”? Some scholars suggest it’s God turning His gaze upon the penitent. God’s eyes of mercy are beholding the one who prays which sparks joy as He restores what was lost. Others, and I lean this way, see in these words the cry of a heart longing to behold God’s face—to experience His presence, His favor, His nearness. Both views weave together a truth found throughout Scripture. Prayer is about communion with God. Whether it’s God’s gaze upon us or our eyes lifted to Him, the result is a “shout of joy” that lifts us up from the pit of despair.
For Job, the pit was real. He was full of grief, pain, and questions that seemed to have no answers. But Elihu’s words point to a deeper deliverance, one that Job would taste fully when he declared, “Now my eye sees you” (Job 42:5). It wasn’t just God’s hand that lifted him from his pit; it was God’s face—His presence that transformed his heart.
This is the heart of prayer: not merely seeking what God can do, but seeking who He is. As my mentor Daniel Henderson teaches in Transforming Prayer, (a book I highly recommend), “Worship-based prayer seeks the face of God before the hand of God. God’s face is the essence of who He is. God’s hand is the blessing of what He does. God’s face represents His person and presence. Scripture-fed, Spirit-led, worship-based prayer turns our faces toward Christ and our hearts toward heaven’s agenda.” When we pray, we’re not just asking for rescue; we’re invited to behold the One who is our rescue.
Think of Job’s journey. His friends offered arguments, but God offered Himself. In his whirlwind, Job didn’t get all his questions answered, but he saw God and that was enough. As the psalmist wrote, “Those who look to him are radiant” (Psalm 34:5), Job found that beholding God’s face was what he needed more than answers to his questions. God’s glory lifted his soul and brought joy to his heart. And when we, like Job, pray from our own places of pain, we’re invited into the same encounter. Whether God’s eyes meet ours in mercy or our hearts lift to see His glory, prayer becomes the place where His presence restores us.
We find this glorious truth in the New Testament where Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
Job’s story foreshadows and demonstrates that seeing God’s face changes us. It’s not the absence of trouble that brings peace, but the presence of Jesus. Job’s restoration began not with new blessings, but with a new vision of God.
So, what does this mean for us? In our pits of loss, uncertainty, or weariness, praying with an open Bible in front of us is our lifeline to God’s face. It’s where we cry out, not just for His hand to fix things, but for His presence to fill us. And as we seek Him, we find a joy that defies our circumstances and a restoration that goes deeper than our pain. Job’s story reminds us that God is near to the brokenhearted, and His face is the light that lifts us from the darkness.
This truth is also beautifully reflected in the words of the psalmist: “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3
Are you in a pit—in a place where you feel stuck or broken? Take time to pray, to wait for the Lord. Don’t start with requests but with worship, beholding God’s face as you meditate on His word and respond as His glory demands. Declare and resolve as the psalmist did: “You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Psalm 27:8
Ask the Spirit to reveal His presence, and journal what you sense or see. Look to Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
God’s presence will not only lift you, but equip you to lift up others. Find someone in their own pit this week and pray for them to encounter God’s face, perhaps sharing an encouraging word or act of kindness. As you seek His face and reflect His love, watch how He not only transforms your heart, but uses you to lift others up to the glory of Jesus.
What did Elihu mean by “he sees his face”? Some scholars suggest it’s God turning His gaze upon the penitent. God’s eyes of mercy are beholding the one who prays which sparks joy as He restores what was lost. Others, and I lean this way, see in these words the cry of a heart longing to behold God’s face—to experience His presence, His favor, His nearness. Both views weave together a truth found throughout Scripture. Prayer is about communion with God. Whether it’s God’s gaze upon us or our eyes lifted to Him, the result is a “shout of joy” that lifts us up from the pit of despair.
For Job, the pit was real. He was full of grief, pain, and questions that seemed to have no answers. But Elihu’s words point to a deeper deliverance, one that Job would taste fully when he declared, “Now my eye sees you” (Job 42:5). It wasn’t just God’s hand that lifted him from his pit; it was God’s face—His presence that transformed his heart.
This is the heart of prayer: not merely seeking what God can do, but seeking who He is. As my mentor Daniel Henderson teaches in Transforming Prayer, (a book I highly recommend), “Worship-based prayer seeks the face of God before the hand of God. God’s face is the essence of who He is. God’s hand is the blessing of what He does. God’s face represents His person and presence. Scripture-fed, Spirit-led, worship-based prayer turns our faces toward Christ and our hearts toward heaven’s agenda.” When we pray, we’re not just asking for rescue; we’re invited to behold the One who is our rescue.
Think of Job’s journey. His friends offered arguments, but God offered Himself. In his whirlwind, Job didn’t get all his questions answered, but he saw God and that was enough. As the psalmist wrote, “Those who look to him are radiant” (Psalm 34:5), Job found that beholding God’s face was what he needed more than answers to his questions. God’s glory lifted his soul and brought joy to his heart. And when we, like Job, pray from our own places of pain, we’re invited into the same encounter. Whether God’s eyes meet ours in mercy or our hearts lift to see His glory, prayer becomes the place where His presence restores us.
We find this glorious truth in the New Testament where Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
Job’s story foreshadows and demonstrates that seeing God’s face changes us. It’s not the absence of trouble that brings peace, but the presence of Jesus. Job’s restoration began not with new blessings, but with a new vision of God.
So, what does this mean for us? In our pits of loss, uncertainty, or weariness, praying with an open Bible in front of us is our lifeline to God’s face. It’s where we cry out, not just for His hand to fix things, but for His presence to fill us. And as we seek Him, we find a joy that defies our circumstances and a restoration that goes deeper than our pain. Job’s story reminds us that God is near to the brokenhearted, and His face is the light that lifts us from the darkness.
This truth is also beautifully reflected in the words of the psalmist: “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3
Are you in a pit—in a place where you feel stuck or broken? Take time to pray, to wait for the Lord. Don’t start with requests but with worship, beholding God’s face as you meditate on His word and respond as His glory demands. Declare and resolve as the psalmist did: “You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Psalm 27:8
Ask the Spirit to reveal His presence, and journal what you sense or see. Look to Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
God’s presence will not only lift you, but equip you to lift up others. Find someone in their own pit this week and pray for them to encounter God’s face, perhaps sharing an encouraging word or act of kindness. As you seek His face and reflect His love, watch how He not only transforms your heart, but uses you to lift others up to the glory of Jesus.