A Face to Seek

Seek the face of the Lord always.  Psalm 105:4

What does God look like?  If no one has ever seen his face how are we supposed to seek it and how will we know if we really see it?  Those are fair questions when you’re a middle lovely.  If we are supposed to seek His face always, I suppose we’d better know where to look!  It’s easy to seek the face of God in the obvious, like creation, babies and children.  I have no problem seeing and feeling the presence of God when I’m in my classroom!  My students fill my days with every emotion possible.  I know just what Jesus meant when He said, “Let the little children come to me.”  Most mornings when I go into the gym for Morning Prayer and the Pledge I want to say the same thing!  It’s a bit more of a challenge however to seek His face in the unpleasant, the unfair, and the unlikable.

Seeking God’s face doesn’t just apply to people…we need to seek his face in situations and experiences.  Sure we recognize God in the events that are happy and joyful like weddings and celebrations but we need to know He is present in the sad and difficult and sorrowful ones as well.  His love, presence and inviting spirit are there even we can recognize no apparent good in the situation.  We are reminded not only to seek Him but to praise and thank Him in all situations.  That’s easy to say until we’re smack dab in the middle of ugly and we have to spit out the words, “God I’m seeking you in this mess and I thank you for these circumstances…even though they STINK!”  Sometimes uttering those words can taste like vinegar in our mouth but if you repeat them again and again, you can begin to see His face and feel His presence guiding and teaching and blessing. 

We like things to be simple and easy and happy and when they aren’t, we tend to think God has left us all alone.  Our purpose in seeking God shouldn’t be to make us “feel good”, the purpose is to build us up for the Kingdom and a life spent with Him.  Very often the things we need to learn can only be taught when life isn’t all neat and tidy and happy.  But make no mistake…God is there…just waiting for us to seek Him so He can take us by the hand and begin the next lesson! 
 
A seed to plant:  Write the words, “God I trust you, God I love you, God I will be faithful and seek your face” on a notecard and read it again and again when you’re in a situation where it’s hard to seek His face.

Blessings on your day!