Seek My Face
Is the Wait Worth the Trouble?
The book, “Waiting is Not Easy,” written by Mo Willems is a book that I have read many times to my children. Every time I read this book; I think to myself that every person should read it because waiting is not easy for any of us. In the book, Piggie has a really big surprise for Gerald, but Gerald does not have the patience to wait for it and even begins to think that the surprise is not worth the wait. Through all of Gerald’s impatience, Piggie assures him that this surprise is worth waiting for. At just the right moment, Piggie tells Gerald to look up into the night sky. They both stand in awe of the beautiful stars surrounding them. Gerald agreed, the surprise was worth the wait.
Why is Waiting Difficult?
Like Gerald, we are impatient. Why is waiting so difficult for us? Waiting is difficult because it shows us how little control we actually have. We all think that we have control over our lives and futures, but we don’t. We turn to God and He usually remains silent on disclosing those plans to us. I think the reason He keeps quiet about our futures is that He wants us to daily “seek His face” in all things. He promises to give us all we need if we seek Him first.
Let’s Look at what Scripture says.
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
whom should I dread?
2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh,
my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army deploys against me,
my heart will not be afraid;
though a war breaks out against me,
I will still be confident.
4 I have asked one thing from the Lord;
it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
gazing on the beauty of the Lord
and seeking him in his temple.
5 For he will conceal me in his shelter
in the day of adversity;
he will hide me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
6 Then my head will be high
above my enemies around me;
I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy.
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
7 Lord, hear my voice when I call;
be gracious to me and answer me.
8 My heart says this about you:
“Seeka]”>[a] his face.”
Lord, I will seek your face.
9 Do not hide your face from me;
do not turn your servant away in anger.
You have been my helper;
do not leave me or abandon me,
God of my salvation.
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord cares for me.
11 Because of my adversaries,
show me your way, Lord,
and lead me on a level path.
12 Do not give me over to the will of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing violence.
13 I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart be courageous.
Wait for the Lord.
Unexpected Invitation
David, the writer of Psalm 27 knew this all too well. In this Psalm, David is in anguish and cries out to God for protection, but also, he just wants to be with God. David reveals to us that there is a relationship between “seeking” and “waiting” for God in the life of a Christian.
God speaks to David’s heart and invites him to “Seek His face.” David is not a priest of Israel; he is not able to go into the Holy of Holies, yet God invites David to “seek His face” and implies that if David does, he will find Him. David trusted God’s promise because God was always faithful.
Hide & Seek
Have you ever played “hide and seek” with a young child? It is very different playing with young children than older children. Children usually go and hide first, while the adult is counting. Upon reaching the magic number, the adult will say, “ready or not, here I come.” Upon hearing those words; giggles will be heard, or maybe an “I’m over here.” The young child will always give their location away. But that doesn’t stop the adult from looking under the blanket, or under this chair, or that table, until finally, the child says, “I’m not over there, I’m right here.”
God, just like the child playing “hide and seek” wants to be found. He whispers, “over here,” yet we go over there. Sin has created a divide between God and man, and it has become difficult to find God and listen to His whispers in the middle of our busy lives. God is whispering to us, “Seek my face” and we get distracted by the notifications on our phones. “Seek my face” and we turn on Netflix. The pattern continues until we actually become still and listen to the whisper that says, “I’m over here, seek my face.”
Changing the Rules of the Game
We can be confident that God is good even when things are bad. David provides encouragement in this Psalm as we face life’s struggles. No matter how tough, painful or difficult days are, believing that God is good and is “working all things for your good and His glory” is something we must never forget. God is quite frankly changing the game from “hide and seek” to “seek and wait.” If we are patient and wait on the Lord, He will turn to us and hear our cries for help.
Seek First
In Matthew 6:33, Jesus tells us to, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” We must listen to the whispers that lead us to God’s presence because that is where we find fullness and joy. God never promised us an easy life; though, He did promise that when we “seek His face,” and “Seek first His Kingdom” He will supply us with what we need. Sometimes we experience pain because God wants to use us to speak His truth to others as they are experiencing a similar trial. Don’t mistake the slow care of the Holy Spirit as inaction on His part. We must always let what we know to be true trump how we feel in our current circumstance. God desires us to seek and find His face because it is the only thing that will satisfy our souls.
Prayer
God, you are our light, our salvation, and our stronghold. Give us the confidence to not be afraid or buckle under the pressures of life’s struggles, but as we seek and wait, lean on you for protection against our enemies. We desire to “seek your face,” so be gracious to us, hear our voices and do not turn your servants away without speaking.
