To Seek His Face

Dearest Saints
God often reminds me lately about simply "seeking His face". I didn't know really what that meant. I heard someone explain it like this: "Rather than always quickly going to prayer and asking God to always do this and do that, we need to just simply have that wonderful intimate fellowship with Him". When someone put it this way, I realized that is what I needed to do more than ever. The Lord does truly want us to acknowledge Him to help heal the sick, heal broken relationships, help those in financial need and any other issues that may include employment and other agendas in ones life. Often times, when I look at my situation, I am reminded to stop and seek His face by acknowledging His love for me, His promises that He never leaves me, His wonderful care for me and to give Him thanks with an attitude of gratitude. Just like the prayer Jesus taught His Disciples when He first acknowledges His Father by starting His prayer model "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by thy Name". In His prayer, He first acknowledges His Fathers awesome holiness before He asks of anything from Him. Seeking His face is not something that is a formula of words or a structured agenda, it is simply putting aside quality time to speak with God from your heart, acknowledging His sweet presence and quieting our spirit to hear Him speak to our heart. I remembered one night in particular when I was outside in the outbacks of northern Botswana and with very little lights to brighten the atmosphere, you could easily see countless stars in the black of night and it was times like that, that I simply look up and smile and say how awesome are You O Lord. He tells us that the heavens declare His glory (Ps 19:1 and Ps 97:6). Just having this quiet time many years ago is one of those times I am able to remember because of having that special time to acknowledge His sweet presence and His awesomeness of knowing each star He has placed.

As I ponder this thought even now, if we are often frusterated and burdened with many cares that we carry around, we need to ask ourselves if we have spent the quality time with God to seek His face as we should? I see more and more that the world is often in need of entertaining ones self all the time that people can hardly go from home to work and back home on the bus without playing games on the ipod, watching a movie or being consumed with all sorts of reading material, wearing headphones on may different electronic gadgets that literally shuts oneself in their own world. I often believe there is a connection of many people having unrest and the result of their need of being entertained all the time who fail to seek Him and His presence because they are so consumed. I often hear that if the devil can't make you mad, he will make you "busy" with distractions. When I do spend quality time with God, by having no distractions to disrupt this tranquil time of peace, I am strengthen much more and enjoy the rich peace He gives us that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7). The simplicity of spending quiet time with God is an awesome experience. When we go to pray and just quickly give God our "wish list" of things to do, we need to spend rich quality time with Him first. That is why God tells us to seek His face and not His hands (1 Chronicles 16:11). In other words, just to spend quality time with God rather than always just asking Him a list of "to do"s for us and/or for others during prayer. It is important to acknowledge His help in prayer, but I often experience many prayers of people just coming to God with just a "to do" list and forgetting to come in to His presence to worship and acknowledge His holiness, His beauty and goodness. When we spend quality time with Him, it is utmost importance that we do not overlook this. When we come with our list, He already knows what we need and He promises to meet our needs when we first seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, by having that quality time with Him. When we get in to the works of the flesh, we become frusterated because we are relying on ourselves to make things happen. God continues to teach me to seek His face by acknowledging our need of Him, our inadequacy without Him (John 15:5) and asking Him to take the lead and ask Him to help us to simply obey the leading of His Spirit because He is the One who causes things to grow (1 Cor 3:7). I find that my day goes much better when I start my day first by inviting Him in to my conversation. When we come to God, let us seek His face and the beauty of His wonderful presence. By learning to receive His peace (which He came to give us in the first place), we need to know a couple of things for us personally, deep within:

a. That He is the fulfillment of perfect love who loves us perfectly (1 Cor 13:4-8). I find it helpful to read this and insert your name as though you hear Him speaking directly to you;
b. Know that He cares for you (1 Pet 5:7);
c. Understand that He knows best. When you acknowledge Him to answer prayer and the door closes, He has something better for you (Rev 3:7,8);
d. Know His omnipresence (that He already promises that He will not leave or forsake you) (Heb 13:5);
e. Know that no other power or authority has dominion over Him. However, it is often stopped by our unbelief or doubt of His love and care for each of us. Unbelief and doubt is a horrible detterent that literally stops the work of God on our behalf. Just like Jesus was unable to do any miracles in His hometown simply because of unbelief (Matt 13:58).

When we come to know deeply and personally of His loving and awesome attributes for us, we can effectively develop that strong confidence, deep inner peace within us, knowing He loves us and truly does care for us. We are only able to obtain this when we learn to spend quality time with Him first and foremost by seeking His face.

In the Matchless Name of Jesus
Richard
Associate Director
Answers2Prayer
http://sites.google.com/site/greatestbuilderforourlife
http://www.answers2prayer.org/