How to Seek God’s Face

Scripture is filled with many examples of people who expressed their passion for knowing God. The writers of the Psalms demonstrated passion in their prayers. We can see glimpses of the beautiful pictures of passion painted throughout the Psalms:

As the deer pants after the water brooks, so my soul pants after You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When will I come and appear before God? (Ps. 42:1-2).

How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my body cry out for the living God (Ps. 84:1-2).

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied when I awake with Your likeness (Ps. 17:15).

When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Ps. 27:8).

These passages also raise questions. Why would these writers want to seek God’s face? They most certainly knew the story of Moses’ encounter with God. They knew they could not see His face and live. It was their passion to seek God that made them want to know God on a deeper level, even being willing to risk their lives to know the God they loved more personally. During your next time of prayer, pray these verses to God and let Him know that you desire to know Him more deeply.

Prayer

When you are passionate for God, you want to talk with Him all the time. Most people know what it is like to fall in love with someone. When you want to know someone more intimately, you feel compelled to talk to that person as much as possible. I remember the early stages of my dating relationship with my wife. I texted, called, emailed and spent time with her as much as I could. Eventually, I wanted to be with her so much that I decided to spend the rest of my life with her. This is the kind of relationship God wants with His people. He calls us His bride and He wants us to pursue a relationship with Him daily.

Moses spent 40 continuous days and nights with God. What did he do during that time? He talked with God. Sometimes our concept of prayer becomes overspiritualized. It is not a magic potion we use to get what we want on our wish list. Prayer simply means talking to God. In the same manner in which you can have a conversation with your friend or relative, you can talk to God too! If we want to learn how to pray more effectively, a good place to start is by studying the Lord’s Prayer. We find that there are different types of prayer and that the right attitude should be exhibited as we pray. Matthew 6:9–13 says:

Therefore pray in this manner: Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Within the Lord’s Prayer we find these types of prayer:

• Prayers of praise and worship
• Prayers of request for provision
• Prayers of confession and repentance
• Prayers of request for deliverance

There are other types of prayers, but how we pray is more important than what we pray. Our attitude is of utmost importance. In contrast to the poor examples of prayer found in Matthew 6:5-8, we should always pray with humility, recognizing God’s place as Creator and Sustainer of all things and our place as those in need of God’s mercy and grace. How often should we pray? According to 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we should “pray continually.” This means we should be in communication with God every moment we have the opportunity; at home, at work, at study, at play and at rest.

Bible Study

Moses says in Exodus 33:13, “Teach me Your ways.” We cannot know God without knowing His Word. Hearing sermons on Sunday is not enough. We need to engage in consistent study of God’s Word. If you have not read the entire Bible all the way through, I encourage you to do so. You will learn many wonderful things about God that will amaze you.

Begin your journey through the Bible with the Gospels, and then proceed with reading the entire New Testament. When you have done that, read through the entire Old Testament. Reading God’s Word is the surest way to know that preaching and teaching is in line with the Word of God.

I challenge you to pray and read your Bible when you have a question about something you have heard. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom to understand His Word. If you continue to have difficulty understanding a passage, ask a trusted church leader or experienced church member to guide you in the interpretation of the passage. As you begin to read God’s Word regularly, it will stay with you. In the middle of a struggle, God’s Word will come back to encourage you. Why can we always rely on God’s Word? These passages provide the answer: