Seeking the Face of God

The destined end of man is not happiness, nor health, but holiness. God’s one aim is the production (making) of saints. He is not an eternal blessing machine for men; he did not come to save men out of pity; he came to save men because he had created them to be holy. 

Oswald Chambers

God has created us to be in relationship. He created us to be in relationship with each other as his created beings. But he created us more especially to be in relationship with Him, our Creator God. He created us to be in communion; in fellowship with Him. An essential part of this communion with Him is prayer. God is not a distant God that cannot be reached. He is omnipresent – present everywhere and present always. He is Emmanuel, God with us. God loves us with an everlasting love and beckons us to come into His presence, His throne room, to seek His face. He longs to have intimacy with us. David knew the importance of being in God’s presence. In Psalm 27:8, he says this,

“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’”

When David sensed the Lord calling Him into His presence, he immediately responded. He did not hesitate. He desired to spend time with Him because He understood the importance of seeking God. He knew that God’s presence was where he found refuge, where he felt safe and protected. God’s presence was where his fears were dispelled and where he found confidence in the face of his troubles (Psalm 27:3).

David’s objective in seeking God’s face went beyond his desire to see God’s hand at work in providing for his material needs. His objective was to know God intimately (Psalm 27:4).  When we seek God’s face, we come with a repentant and humble heart. We seek His forgiveness and ask Him to cleanse us from things we have done that go against His Word and His will for our lives. We ask Him, as David did, to “remove our transgressions from us and to create in us a clean heart” (Psalm 51:1-11). When we come to God with a broken and repentant heart, He will not reject us (Psalm 51:7). He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). This is His promise. God desires for our hearts to be pure before Him. Psalm 24: 3-5 says those whose hearts are pure will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their Saviour.

When we desire purity of heart, God can use us in amazing ways that could even lead to revival. This is what happened on the Hebrides Island in Scotland in 1949 when a group of people was praying for revival. One night, one of the men read Psalm 24:3-5. He shut his Bible and said, “It seems to me to be so much sentimental humbug (nonsense) to be praying as we are praying, to be waiting as we are waiting, if we ourselves are not right with God.” He asked God to reveal if his own hands were clean and his own heart was pure. As they waited on God, the presence of God fell upon them powerfully. This sparked a mighty revival marked by repentance, a desire for holiness and deep transformation in the lives of those impacted by the revival. The revival was not confined to churches. People often felt overwhelmed by God's presence in their homes, in their workplace, or while walking, leading to spontaneous prayer and repentance.

Revival is often related to holiness, and it starts in our own hearts. When we desire a pure heart, we give God permission to transform us. The revival in Scotland was preceded by a revival in the hearts of those who were praying. When we allow God to transform our hearts, revival will take place. It will start in our own hearts and spread into our spheres of influence – our family, our workplace, communities, and every other space we interact in.

If you want revival, let me remind you that God only plants the seed of His life in soil which has been broken up by repentance. Alan Redpath

Reflection:

Will you seek God’s face and allow Him to create in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit in you? Will you allow Him to use you as an instrument of change in your family, your workplace and every other community and space you interact in?

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for me so that my sins may be forgiven. Lord, I surrender to you everything that stands in the way of living a life that is pleasing to you. Forgive me, Lord, for the things that I participate in that go against Your Word and Your will for my life. Help me to live a life of purity so that I may impact those around me for your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.