Seeking His Face

Scripture

Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.

~Psalm 105:4, NASB

Quote

Go to Jesus with all your problems. Others may grow weary addressing the issues that concern you, but the Savior never will.

~Charles F. Stanley

Although our reform friends say there is no such thing, the term “Seek the LORD,” is found over fifty times in the Bible. There are some 78 references to seeking the LORD in the Bible. What does it mean to seek the LORD’s face. The Hebrew word pānîm which is translated ‘face’ in the KJV and NASB can be translated over 17 different ways. It could be translated presence, person or countenance. It is also translated ‘before’ or ‘in front of’. It seems to me that we have a picture of the believer coming before the LORD in earnest prayer seeking to know the LORD’s presence, person and power {strength}. I don’t know about you, but I want to do the will of God. The desire is there and I assume God put it there by grace but I seem to come short in the area of courage to do His will. I think my biggest problem is fear. It is not that I do not want to do His will but simply a lack of strength. This is why I continually come before HIM. I am seeking HIM and I am also seeking HIS strength.

I am reading the prophet Jeremiah in the IMMERSE reading bible. I love Jeremiah but I do not envy him. He was a man of sorrows. His life for the most part was one of suffering. The LORD did not allow him to marry or have a family. The message that God gave him to deliver to Judah was very unpleasant and unpopular. Jeremiah was never appreciated. He was never honored. He spent a lot of time in jail and he was despised by most people. Although he was tempted to withdraw and stop preaching; he never yielded to that temptation and he continued to seek the LORD and His strength. His own people forced him to go with them to Egypt where they stoned him to death.  Last week is what some refer to as Holy Week and we recount Jesus going up to Jerusalem to become the Passover Sacrifice. Can you imagine the courage needed to face this hate filled mob. The disciples didn’t want Jesus to go and Jesus knew exactly what would happen if He did but He sit His face toward Jerusalem and He did not relent. Our Warrior King had the courage of a lion. O Lord Jesus, give me that kind of courage.

I don’t want to pick on Paul but he had a Simon Peter type experience himself. As Paul neared Jerusalem on his final visit to the holy city, his friends begged him not to go. Finally Paul has and outburst, “You folks are breaking my heart. I know what awaits me in Jerusalem and I am ready to go there, suffer there and even die there.” Paul thought he could do what Jesus did and it went well until he encountered the hate of the Jews. As you may recall, Paul was saved from the Jewish mob by the Romans who would eventually move Paul in the dead of night to prevent the Jews from killing him. Paul was transferred to Caesarea on the coast. When Felix asks Paul if he wanted to go back to Jerusalem to stand trial; Paul responded with an emphatic NO! Paul asked to be tried before Nero rather than face the hatred of the Jews. That is not much of choice: Nero or the Jews! Nero was nuts and the Jews were filled with hate. Paul choose insanity over hatred. I am not putting Paul down, I am merely pointing out his humanity. When it comes to courage, there is no one like Jesus. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. {Isaiah 40:29, NASB}

Extra

Today is Sarah Hooper day: it is dedicated to her memory and to her family. I will be leaving in a few minutes for DBC where I will be spending most of the day. I had a terrible dream last night. I dreamed I was in the woods cutting fire wood and forgot to turn my phone on. Some one came to get me about 2:00 pm and said, “Have you forgotten Sarah’s COLS?” I ran frantically to the house thinking all the way that Joe David would have it covered but when I got to the house, he was sitting on the front porch. I said, “Son you are supposed to be at church.” He said, “I know, I forgot all about it.” Thank God I woke up. I was so thankful that it was a dream that I began giving thanks to God.

Crazy weather: Have you been enjoying all this global warming caused by carbons? Of course the idiots changed their terms a few years back from global warming to climate change. It is number one on Biden’s agenda. What idiots. Keith Blackwood has another name for it…it is called weather and we have always had it. What can Biden and the idiots do about the weather? NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Anyway, I transplanted a flower Saturday and then it got down to 39 last night. I don’t think we had frost but we may get it tonight.

Have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.

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