Day 4—“…and seek my face”

Psalm 105:4 (ESV)
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

The Hebrew word translated “face” in 2 Chronicles 7:14 (paneh) is often translated as “presence,” as it is in Psalm 105 above. So to seek the Lord’s face means primarily to seek his presence. 

God is omnipresent, so of course he is present everywhere at all times. But the Bible often alludes to God being present in a way that he is not normally present. You could call this the “manifest” presence of God, when God manifests himself in a way that it can be can sensed (seen, felt, recognized) that he is with us in a special, powerful way.

Moses recognized the importance of the manifest presence of God. In Exodus 33 God was angry at the rebellious and stiff-necked behavior of the people, and he told Moses that he would send an angel with them as they journeyed on, but that He Himself (i.e. his manifest presence) would not go. Look at Moses’ very wise response:

Exodus 33:15 (ESV)
And (Moses) said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.

In other words, Moses is saying, “God, I don’t want to take another step across this wilderness if your manifest presence is not with us.” He goes on to ask the Lord what would distinguish God’s people from all the other people of the world if God’s manifest presence was not with and upon them.

We 21st century Christ followers to lay hold of this attitude! What else will distinguish us from the people of the world if God’s manifest presence is not with us? How will the world be able to tell that the Christian faith is different or better than any other faith or religion if God’s presence is not manifest among us!

As we continue in our 21 Days of Prayer, let’s express to God that we don’t want to go any further in our lives without his manifest presence! Don’t hesitate to cry out in desperation to God for his presence!

Consider these scriptures:

Isaiah 55:6 (ESV)
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV84)
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.