Seek God’s Face // 1 Chronicles 16:11
The Bible is full of instances where God promised that if we seek Him we will find Him. I think my favorite account is in Jeremiah 29:13 when God said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart.” But what are we seeking? Today’s verse encourages us to seek God’s face. Why is that important? All too often we seek God’s hand, because that’s were the treats are found. I think of it like when we were training our dog using treats. Initially the pup’s eye stayed focused on the hand with the treat, and that was good as we helped her learn that she gets the goodies when she pays attention. As training progressed, however, and her obedience increased, we taught her to focus on our face as opposed to the hand. This was tough for her at first, but she learned that when she focused where we wanted, the treats would come. The same is essentially true with God. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount about the things of the earth that we all want and need. His point was not to make those the focus of life, but seeking God. We read in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” This is why God wants you to seek His face. Seeking God’s face calls us to pay attention to His presence, His character, His purpose, and His will…not just the treats in the hand. So, will you seek God’s face today? Will you make it a point when you pray for the things you want and need to seek a relationship with the Lord first? The promise is that when we do, everything else is added, too.
