Theme: Do You Really Want God’s Heart or His Hand?
Scripture: “My heart says to you, seek His face, your face Lord I will seek“. — Psalm 27:8
Have you ever thought about your true desire for God and what that entails? Without realizing it, some of us have sought Jesus as our savior, but not Lord. Because life has a way of creating traumas, hardships, suffering, and all the impossible things—-it’s so easy to be focused on having a “way of escape” rather than towards the heart of the One who rescues. Besides, the bible tells us that our flesh is naturally selfish and our hearts are deceitful, therefore, without “dying to our flesh daily”—we won’t even recognize the ways that we “use” God for our own “good” instead of being used by Him for His heart/will.
In Psalm 27, David declares the goodness of the Lord despite his anguish with being surrounded by enemies and feeling abandoned in many ways. Throughout the chapter, he mentions the fact that the Lord is wonderful, mighty, and a solid and firm foundation (aka stronghold)——making David unafraid of those who are against him because who can really stand against the Lord anyway, right?
But then as he makes his way through the chapter, David begins to really delve into the notion that it’s the Lord’s presence alone that carries him through despite how intense the adversaries around him may appear to be. Yes, David does speak about the Lord being savior and the One who could cause his enemies to stumble and fall, BUT once David acknowledges that he’s more desperate for God’s presence because it’s the one thing that holds him together——he shifts in his speech in between.
It’s then that David begins to “cry out” to the Lord and declares that it’s God’s face [aka heart] that he seeks after rather than just what God can do with His hand. Because it’s in this moment that David highlights in verse 10 that it was when his own Mother + Father forsook him, that the Lord took him in and adopted him. So, like David—-have you stopped to reflect on the amount of love that God has shown towards you despite the hardships and fears you may have to still face? Have you noticed that He’s kept you “going” or that it was the Lord who provided when you had no other option or that it was He who orchestrated your path when you were lost or in danger?
While it’s so easy to remain hyper focused on the laundry list of things that we need God to come through on for us, it’s so powerful to acknowledge WHO God is (in spite of) AND what He’s ALREADY DONE. There’s power in seeking after what God wants us to do or learn from during our hard moments. And there’s even more power in seeking after God because He’s just GOOD (and worthy) even before He shows up in the way that we need Him to.
Like David, we have to remain seeking the Lord’s presence because without it——who are we? What kind of life would we have? What kind of love would we get to feel? He’s the ultimate source of “life” AND love—-for He IS Love. And while we heavily believe that the things we lack would fulfill the parts of us that feel empty, drained, or not enough—–truth is: ONLY the Lord can fill that void! The things we seek by God’s hand won’t give us the joy, peace, strength, and love we often so desperately seek.
REFLECTION:
Take some time this week to ask yourself if you’ve really been seeking the Lord because of what He can do/give or because of His heart and your desire to know His will for your life? Have you left any room for the Lord’s desires for you or have you taken it upon yourself to lay out the way your life should be based on your own selfish ambitions?
Let’s take inventory of the moments that we actually considered the Lord’s requests to us—-whether it be the convictions that He’s been nudging for you to lean into, the things/people He’s been telling you to let go of, the idols that you run to instead of the Lord during certain moments in your life, or simply your lack of intimacy with God other than the “checklist” of things that you feel that you need to do ever so often to fulfill the basic standard as a Christian. Have you truly prayed to the Lord about the things He wants for you? Have you just offered up a prayer of Thanksgiving—-with nothing more or nothing less? Have you sought His face so that you can align to His righteousness?
And if you find that you’ve been seeking His hand more than His face—-it’s OK. Simply go to the Father and lay your heart bare for Him to touch, heal, and restore. Be honest about why you’ve avoided His face. Has it been that you don’t trust Him? Is it because you’re ashamed of the sin you’ve been in? Is it because you’re angry with Him for the things you’ve had to endure? Or is it because you don’t know Him as well as you thought you did because His way just aren’t making sense to you? Either way—–He’s waiting!
He’s waiting for you to come in full transparency, with a broken + contrite heart—-ready to repent and take His hand. His love for you is far greater than you could ever imagine and that doesn’t change because of our mistakes.
So, this one thing do I ask: Are you ready for the Jesus to be your Lord (the One who reigns over your life) AND Savior (the One who saves your life)? If so, invite Him in. Just ask.
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” –Psalm 27:13-14
God Bless.
