Do you see God smiling at you?

One of my favorite ways to pray is to imagine Jesus' smiling at me.

As I've said before, I pray from the Psalms everyday. The Psalms are full of prayers and meditations that refer to the Lord delighting in us, shining his favor on us, or smiling on us.

For instance, today I'm praying from Psalm 138 and have been "centering" myself (returning again and again quietly and meditatively to the prayer:
"Though the Lord is on high, he smiles upon the lowly, like me and _________." (Psalm 138:6).

To help me "see" the Lord's loving, joyful smile I have put into my personalized Psalms prayer book pictures of artists' renderings of the smile of Christ. (You can google this online!)

What a blessing this simple way of prayer is for me! It lifts me eyes to heaven. It brings a smile to my face. It makes my steps lighter - even in the midst of daily stresses and challenges and pains.

Do you ever imagine Jesus smiling at you? How does this or would this effect you?