Seeking God's hand vs Seeking God's face!

Have you ever been around a person who is always asking you for something? If this get's on your nerves, can you image how God must feel when we are constantly asking him for miracles and blessings? It's time to get to a place in God where we are no longer seeking his hand but seeking his face. I must warn you though, seeking God's face isn't as easy as it sounds. In this post we are going to look at the difference between seeking God's hand and seeking his face.

Seeking God's hand

Seeking God's hand means to constantly ask God for houses, cars, land, and other physical things without caring about spiritual things. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with wanting those things but those THINGS can not become more important to you than spiritual things. Matthew 6:32-33 (KJV) says: (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Your spiritual maturity isn't shown by how many times you shout and speak in tongues, but by what you seek God for. Christians who are mature will ask God, what can I do for you and not God what are you going to do for me.

We have to realize that God wants to bless us! There's nothing a good father wouldn't give his child. He wants to give his children the best! 3 John 1:2 says: Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. The problem is when a person cares or wants more of the blessing and not the blessor (the one who blesses). As we grow and mature in God, our blessings will automatically grow and overtake us. Joshua 1:8 says: This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Seeking God's face!

Seeking God's face means to seek God for who he is. 1 Chronicles 16:11 says: Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. A person who seeks God's face has grown enough in God to understand that God will provide the physical things if we seek him for spiritual things. One of my favorite songs is called "Because of who you are" by Martha Munizzi. That song truly demonstrates what it means to seek God's face. Some of my favorite lyrics to this songs says...Because of who you are, I give you glory. Because of who you are, I give you praise. Because of who you are, I will lift my hands and say, Lord I worship you..because of who you are. Spiritually mature Christians don't care whether God blesses them, they just want to bless God for who He is.

Psalm 27:8 says When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. The Bible teaches us that no one can look upon the face of God and live. The fullness of God’s glory is so great that nothing created can contain it; the measure of God’s majesty is so incredible that no human words can describe it; the perfection of God’s holiness is so hallowed that none dare approach it. Why then does God encourage David to seek His face? In Numbers 6, the LORD gave to Aaron and his sons a blessing to pronounce upon the people. Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV) says: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Whereas no man may look upon the glory God’s face and live, the graciousness of God’s face looks upon us. It is the graciousness of God’s face that we must seek. Seeking the graciousness of God’s face involves seeking at least three things.

1. It involves seeking God’s presence.

“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.” (vs. 4)

The temple David sought was much more than the tabernacle at Jerusalem. To dwell in the house of the LORD meant that he would seek to live with constant recognition of the presence of God in his life. David’s mind would ever be on the LORD; therefore the LORD’S face would ever be before David.

2. Seeking the graciousness of God’s face also means seeking God’s praise.

“And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.” (vs. 6)

3. Lastly we see that seeking the graciousness of God’s face means seeking His pathway.

“Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.” (vs. 11)

One day when we are in heaven, we will be able to look upon the face of God and worship Him in all the fullness of His glory. But until that day arrives, we are blessed to have the graciousness of God’s face look upon us.

“When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee,

Thy face, LORD, will I seek.”

“Oh Lord, bless us and keep us;

LORD make thy face shine upon us and be gracious to us;

LORD turn thy face toward us and give us peace.”

Remain blessed