Many times in Scripture, God’s people are encouraged to seek the face of God. A familiar verse declares, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:4) The Hebrew word for “face” in the Old Testament is often translated “presence.” When we seek the face of God, we are seeking His presence. In Psalm 105:4, God’s faithful ones were called to “seek His face always.” As I pondered Scriptures relating to seeking God, it came to me that too many times rather than seeking God’s face we seek God’s hand—what He is going to give us—His blessings. God will not bless what does not honor Him. This goes back to 2 Chronicles—blessing involves turning away from sin and turning to God in complete surrender and true obedience. God does not change so let’s go back to the Garden of Eden to see truths about obedience and disobedience. James 1: 14-17 reveals that “All good gifts come from God—the Father of light—in Him there is no shadow of turning.” Without question, God provided the perfect place for Adam and Eve—beyond our imagination. He provided them with maybe hundreds of trees to eat of—almonds, apricots, avocados, cashews, cherries, peaches, pears, apples, plums—an abundance of choices to satisfy them. God poured out His love and blessings upon them, but He gave them one command—to eat of all of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. One act of disobedience brought curses upon them and upon the earth and that old serpent, the Devil, Satan, Dragon that is still being played out today.
America has been greatly blessed for over 400 years from 1620 when the Puritans—the Plymouth Colony signed the Mayflower Compact that acknowledged God as their guiding moral compass, above their loyalty to England, King James and their everyday concerns for survival. They pledged themselves to work together as one unit for the common good of all members. Indeed, we have been able to experience blessings at the hand of God as we sang “God Bless America.” Now, we are seeing God’s hand of blessing being removed from America. We have failed to honor the Compact to acknowledge God as our guiding moral compass, above our loyalties to government and to our everyday concerns for survival. In 1963 prayer and Bible reading were removed from schools. In 1973 Roe vs Wade disregarded the sanctity of life. In 1984 the definition of marriage as God ordained it between one man and one woman was changed which has led to gender fluidity and sexual perversion. God’s principle established in the Garden is still the same: obedience brings blessings; disobedience brings curses.
What is the answer to where we are? Scripture tells that without faith it is impossible to please God. We are God’s people and it is time for us to seek His presence with all our body, soul and spirit and turn from the world, from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life. There are six principles to fortify our faith. 1. Hear God’s voice—Romans 10:17. 2. Obey what you know—Hebrews 11:8. 3. Seek God first by establishing priorities—James 4:1, 1 John 2: 15-17, Phil. 3: 20—I Cor 11: 32 and Romans 12:2. 4. Fix your eyes on God and seek His face—His presence—Heb. 11: 10 and 13, Col. 3: 1-2, 2 Cor. 4: 13. 5. Remain vigilant refusing to give up and trusting God no matter what—I Peter 1: 7, 11. 6. Look to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith and our Blessed Hope—Heb. 11: 11-12, 9: 28, Titus 2: 11-13, 2 Timothy 4:8. Jesus has only one gear—forward and He desires us to move on with Him—not looking back as Lot’s wife did. Our hope is in the future—not the past. I believe God is using this time to separate us from all that would separate us from Him. In the end our relationship with Jesus is all that will last. Jesus is the Healer, the Savior, the Giver—help me want Jesus more than anything!