Did You Hear That?

Uphold me with Thy Sweet Spirit; Whatever You do, Lord, don't take Your joy from me. Uphold me with Thy Sweet Spirit; Whatever You do, Lord, don't take Your joy from me. Uphold me, mold me, Shape me, make me; Whatever You do, Lord, don't take Your joy from me. Appoint me, anoint me, Choose me, use me; Whatever You do, Lord, don't take Your joy from me. Rebuke me, reprove me, Chastise me, Lord, revive me; Whatever You do, Lord, don't take Your joy from me1

“When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.’"²

God said…

I said…

A marriage of words forged together by love, grace and forgiveness. But these are not mere words that will one day be regretted like those of a couple who no longer love one another. God's love is unfailing! Seeking Him is a thirst that cannot be quenched.

How could my heart speak in earnest to God, had I not listened?

How could I listen, had not God spoke from the depths of His lovingkindness?

I am overwhelmed by the mere fact that God speaks to me. In a world where so many people of influence and importance are aloof to me, God speaks!

Who greater than God, would give audience to my words?

Listening intently to my words; God is not bored by what I say. I’ve sat in meetings that put me to sleep. I’ve seen the glazed eyes of those attempting to listen to what I have to say. I have the ability to speak, but my words don’t always find fulfillment in the ears of my audience.

Not so with God!

He sought me out, when others would have fled from me. He called out when others remained silent.

God said…”Seek My face”

What does it mean to Seek? To go in search of: look for. Try to discover.

God said, Go in search of My face…Try to discover My face.

In saying, “Seek My face”, God calls me to come into His presence; to stand in the presence of Almighty God. I must not presume to stand in the presence of someone who is greater than me. I can’t knock on the door of the White House and expect an audience with the President. I can’t go to the local school in my community and expect an audience with the principal; someone representing them will tell me if it is even possible, based on their schedule and my reason for appearing.

God is different. God looked for me. He sought me out and said, “Seek My face”. I am reminded of what Paul wrote in Philippians:

“…I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”³

There are things which hinder me in my search of God’s face; things which prevent me from coming into His presence. But the word of God reminds me that I must Press On, I must not stop, quit, or give up who I’m looking for.

Moses saw a burning bush and said:

“I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”⁴

The presence of God ought to stir up my interest in such a way that I would draw nearer to Him. Our God is a consuming fire! Consume me Lord! May my passion for You never be quenched.

How am I to seek You Lord?

“But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.”⁵

Many times I have gone seeking after something only to experience frustration and discouragement. But I find joy and strength in seeking the Lord.

“…Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.”⁶

God said, “Seek My face”

My heart cries out to Him, I will seek Your presence at all times Lord, that I would find grace in my time of need.

I can’t seek Him using Bing or Google. My fingers may do the walking in the Yellow Pages, but I can’t seek Him that way either.

How do I seek the face of God?

“Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”⁷

Uphold me with Thy Sweet Spirit; Whatever You do, Lord, don't take Your joy from me. Uphold me with Thy Sweet Spirit; Whatever You do, Lord, don't take Your joy from me.

Note: This post is linked to Spiritual Sundays (hosted by Charlotte and Ginger).

Footnotes:

1. Uphold Me, from the album Tomorrow, song written by Fred Manns, Marvin Winans, and Ronald Winans
2. Psalm 27:8, NASB
3. Philippians 3:12, NASB
4. Exodus 3:3, NIV
5. Deuteronomy 4:29, NASB
6. 1 Chronicles 16:10, NASB
7. James 4:10, NASB

References:

1. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6
2. The NIV Study Bible, Edited by Kenneth Barker, Donald Burdick, John Stek, Walter Wessel and Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, USA