SCRIPTURE
“My heart says to you, “Seek His face” your face, Lord, I will seek!” Psalm 27:8
“They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.” Psalm 24:5-6
“Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.” Psalm 105:4
“I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.” Psalm 119:58
SPOTLIGHT
When you look for someone’s help you are seeking for someone’s assistance. You need their service. You want that person to do something for you so that you can rectify a problem, or get out of a mess. When you get a flat tire, you call AAA to fix it. When you go to the deli at the supermarket, you ask the butcher for certain cuts of meat. When you have a toothache, you go to the dentist for help. Each time you are seeking the service that the person offers.
When a believer is facing a mountain, or a dark valley of life, God does it a different way. He does not just want you to seek His service, but also to seek His face. The verses mentioned above clearly point this out. SEEK GOD’S FACE, NOT JUST HIS HAND. Some people would even say it is important to seek to know God better, before seeking His help. God wants you to know Him. Your Creator longs for a very personal relationship with you, His creation. He wants to reveal Himself to you. He longs for you to get beyond the acquaintance level. When Moses sought to know God, he got so close to Him, that he had to take off his shoes, for he realized he was standing on holy ground. When Isaiah sought to know God, he got so close that he had to cry out how unclean he personally felt he was.
God’s hand is so important because it is the hand of protection and pleasure (Psalm 16:8,11), the hand of power, (Psalm 17:7, 89:13, 95:5, 102:25), the hand of penitence, (Psalm 32:4), the hand of presence, (Psalm 110:5, 119:73, 139:5), and the hand to be praised, (Psalm 92:4, 143:5, 145:16). But the Bible does not instruct you to seek God’s hand. It only directs you to seek His face. Try to remember to seek God’s face before seeking His hand of help. Begin seeking God for who He is, before seeking God for what He does for you. We tend to ask God for things, more than worshipping God. In God’s presence, you will experience everything you need. The Bible says, “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.” (1 Chronicles 16:11)
When you seek God’s face rather than His hand, you set yourself up for a dramatic change. The monumental mountain that you are facing, or the deep dark valley that you are walking through become so small in comparison to experiencing God’s closeness, goodness, and greatness. The whipping, stormy winds are breezes in comparison to God’s power. Your gigantic trial decreases in comparison to God’s closeness. The mountainous problem that you are facing diminishes in comparison to God’s goodness.
Just look at the face of Jesus Christ as He hangs on the cross. His face is filled with pain and anguish and then He commits Himself to God the Father. Jesus Christ died well. Just look at Stephen, who was the first Christian martyr. As he was being stoned to death and experiencing excruciating pain, he saw the Lord Jesus Christ. Forgiveness filled his heart as he prayed for his assassinators.
The first thing that you need to do when facing trials is to seek God’s face. Looking into the face of God will relieve all worry and fear. The Giver of life, your Heavenly Father, is far greater and more important than the gift of life. Look to God’s face as well as looking to God’s hand. You can have a gift without knowing the giver. You can receive something without knowing the benefactor. But how incomplete that is! Should you need another gift later in life, you do not know who the giver is, or where to find him. When you seek God’s face, He reveals himself to you. You experience His closeness, goodness and greatness which overwhelm you.
“He is a good, good Father. Yes. He is!”
I will never forget when the Holy Spirit underscored the importance of this truth to SEEK GOD’S FACE, NOT JUST HIS HAND. I was driving to Boston to undergo surgery to determine if I had cancer in my lungs. The previous week had been filled with bleak reports and concerns. I was told I had to have a biopsy and then I saw the X ray, followed by a written report expressing grave concerns. Immediately, I began seeking God for healing. Throughout the following days, I prayed, fasted, read the Word, memorized verses and cried out to God. Now I was driving to the hospital in the early morning, when I heard a worship song based on Revelation 4:11 which says, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.” I had sought God’s hand because I was a strong believer in Divine healing. Now the Holy Spirit told me not to ask any more for a miracle, but just to worship God. So, I did. In my spirit I began to sing, “Thou art worthy, Thou art worthy, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, glory and honor, glory and honor, and power. For Thou hast created, hast all things created, Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are created, Thou art worthy O Lord.” Then I worshipped God by singing, “I stand, I stand, in awe of You, I stand, I stand, in awe of You, Holy God to Whom all praise is due, I stand in awe of You!” The result became crystal clear for me when the nurse took my blood pressure just before the operation. It was 128 over 66. Surprised, she remarked how calm I was in comparison to other patients. I knew why. I was seeking God’s face and worshipping Him. While I was so enjoying being in His presence, God had filled me with His peace. (Isaiah 26:3)
SOMETHING TO DO
Here are 4 things you can do to seek God today:
1. Begin your day with God…even before your first cup of coffee.
2. Talk to God throughout your day as often as the person you talk to the most on your cell phone.
3. End your day with God before going to sleep.
4. Worship God by singing songs of praise to Him quietly in your spirit, or out loud if possible.
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I have decided to remember to seek Your face and not just Your hand. Your presence is so powerful in itself. Holy Spirit teach me new ways as to how to know You more. AMEN.