Seek the Face of God

Preparations have been made

The bags have been packed

The journey must begin

To seek what I lack

He’s hiding amongst the trees

He’s luring me in deeper

Early in the morning mist

I’m reminded to “seek first.”

I find my sacred spot

I will wait amongst the darkness

Just as the morning light approaches

I see the outline of His presence

Slowly but surely, the glory of the Son rises

To shine right through Him

My soul and spirit no longer divided

My heart races as I approach Him

He is the Lord of this Earth

I live within His dominion

He longs for me to seek Him, reach for Him,

So that I will live within His mansion.

He’s prepared a place for me

So I need to prepare a place for the King

His rooms are vast and boundless

My heart is the thrown for His dwelling.

I hear Him say…

Seek my Face

As I long for yours

Prepare me a place

And I will open the doors.

I will live within you.

I will send my glory upon you.

I will fortify your temple.

I will give you my peace.

For the love I have for you is grand.

All of your burdens, I will release.

I will manifest in your dwelling.

So my spirit will leak from your walls.

So please invite me in, and I will do it all.

Devotional: Seek the Face of God series: Post 1

What does it mean to “seek” something? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “seek” to mean:

1. to resort to: to go to
2. a) to go in search of: look for    b) to try to discover
3. to ask for: request
4. to try to acquire or gain: aim at
5. to make an attempt: TRY

When I look at the first definition, I see the need to go to God. Often, I find in my own walk with God that He becomes my last resort. When I was studying and preparing for this series, I was so convicted by His words because when I am going through something, I want to “fix” the problem. I don’t allow Him into the equation until I am tired, depressed, and ready to give up. This is not what God wants for our lives. He wants to be our first resort–not our last.

When I looked at the first part of the second definition of “to go in search of: to look for”, I was under the impression that, well God is everywhere-isn’t he? While God’s presence is everywhere (omnipresent), His manifest presence is something that we have to search and look for. In psalm 105: 4, it states, “Seek and deeply long for the Lord and His strength [His power, His might]; seek and deeply long for His face and His presence continually.” –Amplified Bible Twice within the scripture we see the word “seek” meaning we have to go and find His face (His manifest presence). Not only do we need to seek His manifest presence, but we need to seek Him continually. The word continually stood out to me, and it  is defined as repeated frequently in the same way; regularly; without interrupting; constantly. We need God’s manifest presence constantly, without interruption. His constant manifest presence is what strengthens our spirits, our faith, and our protection from the world.

I love the second part of that definition, “to try to discover.” This leads me to believe that God has something to reveal to us when we “discover” his presence. Psalms 16:11 states, “You will show me the path of life; In your presence is fullness of joy; In your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” –The Amplified Bible. When we are in his constant manifest presence, then He can show us the pathway to life, the fullness of joy, and even more for eternity. Why then are we not all running to seek his face continually? If we believe in the word of God, then why not take Him at His word? I am only just now beginning to understand this truth in my own walk with God… I still am struggling to seek his presence consistently throughout my day.

The third definition, “to ask for: request,” tells me that when we need the presence of God all we need to do is “request” his presence. When we ask for God’s manifest presence, he delightfully and most willingly responds. This is His desire also– to be in your presence. How sweet, how beautiful, how magnificent is God’s heart for us? When this hit my spirit, I was overwhelmed by the sweetness of God. His heart for His people is so gentle, tender, and loving that He so desires to have our presence. What is even more powerful is that you do not have to do anything to deserve His love. He is freely and most willingly giving it to us–even when we are in sin. Because while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). In Isaiah 65:24, “It shall also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.” –The Amplified Bible. “Before they call, I will answer”… I hope you are hearing the heart of your loving Father. He is readily waiting, listening, and wanting to connect with you and to be in your presence. As I am sitting here writing this, I so feel the “overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God”(Cory Asbury). That song talks about how he chases us down. If he is willing to do this for us, then shouldn’t we be willing to do this for Him? A relationship is a two-way street. I so need this reminder EVERY day. This is not my strong suit. Often, I find myself the taker in my marriage, and what makes this even worse is that I expect my husband to freely give of himself–doing chores, helping to raise the kids, pay the bills, surprise me with gifts… But what I feel God convicting me of is….what do I do to “seek” out his (my husband) love? What am I giving of myself to go above and beyond to love him (my husband)? Then I have to consider…what am I doing to seek out the presence of  my Father? What am I doing to love God?

The fourth definition “try to acquire; gain”…We should try to acquire or gain God’s manifest presence. There are many ways in which we can seek to gain His presence. Worship is my key “entering into” God’s presence. Every morning while on my way to work, I listen to my worship playlist, and during my breaks in the day, I pray and listen to worship music. However, there are many ways in which we can worship God. We can through giving, serving, taking care of our bodies, stewarding the things that He’s given us, spending time in His word, and applying His word to our lives. There is so much that God wants to do in our lives, but He needs us to diligently seek Him.

The last definition, “to make an attempt: TRY,” is what is so important to God. Apart from God, we can do nothing, but with God all things are possible. However, we cannot just sit around and wait on God to move. He does require us to do something which goes back to the truth about relationships being a two way street. If we are trying in the name of Jesus, He will meet us where we are.

What’s the takeaway?

In order to “seek” God’s face, we must do what the definition implies…seek him! I’ll leave you with a vision my husband gave me about God speaking to Him about this same topic. My husband is a hunter, and he really enjoys to go Elk hunting. (This is important to note, so that you can understand the vision) In order to go Elk hunting, he has to prepare. He has to search for the right gear that will withstand the journey “up the mountain”, he has to find where the Elk live, and then he has to sit and wait for the Elk to appear. All of which he has to do in order to have the experience of shooting an Elk. What must we then prepare in order to seek the manifest presence of God? What must we bring with us? Where must we go to find where He lives? and then, How long must we wait?

Over the course of this series, this is what we will strive to unpack.

Please let me pray for you:

Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to experience your presence. Thank you for desiring to spend time with us, to dwell within us. There are no limits to your love, and there is no greater love on this earth. How sweet it is to be loved by you. Create in us Lord a heart that longs  for your presence. Give us a burning desire to worship you through our days, and to spend time in your word. Thank you God for your faithfulness, thank you for your eternal love, and thank you for your presence in our lives. We ask for all of this in Jesus’ holy name. Amen.

Scriptures to study: 

Psalms 105:4

Psalms 16:11

Isaiah 65:24

Romans 5:8

Songs of Worship:

Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here by Jesus Culture

In Your Presence by Elevation Worship

Nothing Else by Cody Carnes