Seeking His Face
What is it you’re looking for? Have something in mind. Now, be honest with yourself, are you actually looking for that thing or are is it just wishful thinking? See, there’s a difference between things we’d like and things we’re truly searching for.
Remember back to a time you made a list of 10 things you wanted. Once you got to six or seven, if you were anything like me, you start simply filling the page. The last three or four aren’t things you really desire and may not be things you’d ever use. It’s the top thing or two on the list that has our heart.
I was in Hawaii this past week and got to spend some time back on Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Kona’s campus. This is a place that really does have my heart. I grew immensely during my intermittent two years with YWAM.
We went to their Monday evening service and the speaker talked about seeing the face of Jesus. It’s so easy for us to get caught up in the mission, the mission, dreams, ambition, etc. We have the propensity to lose sight of the image that matters most – God Himself. Friend, if our dreams and ambitions are being filled by anything other than the Person and Work of Jesus first and foremost, then we need to hit the pause button and reassess.
I found myself convicted. How many times have I flippantly said, “God where are you? I need to see You.” But then go straight back to living a worldly life, one scantly resembling a person truly seeking after God. We know the promises of God, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Jesus’ words say, “ask, and it be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9-10). In prayer, I was considering these things and asking Jesus why I had struggled to see Him. I felt a sense of the Lord telling me that He will not show Himself to me until I truly look for Him.
It hit me. I had been “asking” to see Him. Saying that’s what I wanted, but my actions rarely resembled that plea. I felt the heart of the Lord in this – almost broken. Like that feeling when you’re on a date with someone you know doesn’t really want to be there anymore, or when you’re talking to a friend about something important to you and you can tell they’ve lost interest. How often have I made Jesus to feel this way?
I’m not sharing with shame, but rather with thanksgiving that this part of my heart was revealed to me. Where do you find yourself in this line of thinking? If Jesus is Someone you’re after, would your friends be able to know you’re seeking Him? Are your actions aligning with your words, or is it just lip service and your heart is truly after something or someone else?
Friend, I know these are weighty words. But I feel the need to share this conviction. There’s a time for mission, vision, and ambition, but would our participation always be fueled by the overflow of our experience with Jesus. Anything else is conjured, lacking, and will fall woefully short of the substance needed to carry out our individual responsibilities the Lord has given to us. Let’s diligently and truly seek His Face together friends – would that overflow fuel our mission!
