It’s remarkable how a question can wander unexpectedly into your thoughts and command your attention, thus fulfilling its mission of pointing your soul to some goodness sent to bless it! Recently as I sat pondering over my morning coffee, my eyes happened to fall upon a post-it memo I had made for myself. It concerns a bible study I’m currently studying for about fearing God and was headed ‘how do I get the fear of God in my heart?’ This was not the question which commanded the attention I’m referring to – that came as I read through the points I had jotted down from my gleanings in the Scriptures so far. One of those points was Psalm 27:8 where king David wrote, ‘When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”’ This entire Psalm is one which has long been deeply instructive, counselling and comforting to me and this particular verse one of profound direction and challenge. However on this particular morning, as I considered the memo, the question came to my own heart: ‘What did your heart say?’ When God said to you “seek My face” what was the true response? Was it an immediate, ‘yes Lord’ or was it a response such as:
- I have work to do just now;
- I need to help this person just now;
- I’m too tired just now;
- I don’t feel well just now;
- I need to prepare dinner just now;
- I need to go to a church meeting just now;
- I have housework to do just now;
- I studied the Bible long enough for now;
- I need to study the Bible just now;
- I need to [fill in the blank] just now,
- I will but first I just need to [fill in the blank].
I wonder what our hearts truly say behind our words. Clearly responses to God like the above examples (other than ‘yes, Lord’) are wrong, but as I pondered on this a bit more, I could see how easy it is to understand the import of this verse wrongly. One might read it – particularly during an especially challenging trial – and believe the Spirit of God is showing the need to seek Him on a matter there and then. This may well be the case, and often it is. If, however, I “change spectacles” does it not more fully speak concerning a continuing heart attitude, posture and direction behind action – whether in prayer, thoughts, deeds and life in general?
As I considered the matter further a few days later, I became struck by the word ‘seek’. Of course, we all know the plain meaning of the word but I often find myself surprised by deeper insights given when I read the definitions of a familiar and well understood word in print form. Looking up the plain meaning of the word in the ordinary secular dictionary (Oxford English Dictionary) ‘seek’ is defined a ‘try to find or obtain’; ‘search for and find someone or something’; ‘ask for’. I felt drawn to look up the word ‘search’ and found seeing its plain meaning in writing instructive in connection to seeking God’s face. It’s defined in these terms: ‘try to find by looking carefully and thoroughly’; ‘examine something thoroughly in order to find something or someone’. This brought to my mind the word of God at Hebrews 11:6 – ‘But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him’ (underlined for emphasis).
Psalm 27:8 is then, among major “signposts” as it were on the Lord’s highway for us as His children in our pilgrimage here on Earth. He means us to know what it means in practice to know Him and that we do indeed practice – do – this habitually, continuously and confidently. It is a wonderful thing that Almighty God, our heavenly Father wants us to know Him and that He has made that way for us through His Son, Yeshua the Messiah, His Holy Spirit and His word. Consider the plain meanings of the word ‘seek’ again; consider the words at Psalm 27:8 again – ‘when You said seek My face’ – and consider the assurance given to us by Lord Yeshua Himself, for example, at Luke 11:9-13. Here our Lord says this:
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
May the compass of our heart remain set – or be reset – to seeking God’s face in and through Lord Yeshua His Son who still is the Light of this dark world (John 8:12). As His children, He has welcomed us to seek His hand, but it is His desire that we seek His face continually that we might know what it is to know Him. How thankful I was for that question which wandered into my thoughts that morning!
When God our heavenly Father particularly stresses upon your heart, ‘Seek My face’ – what does your heart say? If, in a moment of spiritual struggle you happen to read this and you feel momentarily blinded about how to do this, remember that which God said to His people Israel of old:
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart’ (Jeremiah 29:13).
Ask Lord Yeshua to help you do this – and He will!
May God bless you.
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