𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗚𝗼𝗱'𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟭: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱
Let’s start by talking about what it means to seek God’s 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 versus seeking His 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲. At first, it might sound like we’re talking about the same thing, but they’re actually very different ways of approaching God.
When we 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱, we usually come to Him asking for something—help, provision, healing, direction, or blessings. And don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely okay to ask God for what we need! The Bible is full of examples of people who cried out to God in their times of need, and He responded. Think about the Israelites in the wilderness—God provided manna from heaven when they were hungry. Or how about the numerous times people came to Jesus for healing? He welcomed them and healed them.
But here’s the thing: if we only seek God for what He can do for us, we risk missing the bigger picture. God isn’t just a vending machine where we put in a prayer and get a blessing in return. He’s our Creator, our Father, and He desires a deep, personal relationship with us.
That’s where 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 comes in.
When we seek His 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲, we’re not just coming to God with a list of things we need or want. Instead, we’re coming to know Him more deeply. We’re seeking His presence, His character, and His heart. It’s like the difference between a child who only calls their parent when they need money or help, versus a child who wants to spend time with their parent just because they love them and want to be close to them.
𝗣𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝟮𝟳:𝟴 says, "𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, '𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦.' 𝘔𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, '𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬.'" David, who wrote this psalm, understood the importance of seeking God’s face. David didn’t just come to God in battle or when things got tough. He spent time in God’s presence because he wanted to know God more. His heart was after God, and that’s the kind of relationship God wants with us.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲?
So, what does seeking God’s face look like in our daily lives? It means spending time with Him in prayer, not just to ask for things, but to listen and learn. It means reading the Bible not just to find answers to our problems, but to discover more about who God is. It’s worshiping Him, not just for what He’s done, but for who He is—holy, loving, just, and full of grace.
When we seek God’s face, we find that our relationship with Him grows deeper. We start to care more about His will and less about our own. We start to value His presence in our lives more than the things He can provide for us.
𝗔 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀
Let’s look at a couple of examples from scripture. One of my favorites is the story of 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀. In Exodus 33, Moses is leading the Israelites through the wilderness, and God has been providing for them, leading them with a cloud by day and a fire by night. But Moses wasn’t content with just God’s help. He wanted more—he wanted to see God’s 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘆. He says in 𝗘𝘅𝗼𝗱𝘂𝘀 𝟯𝟯:𝟭𝟴, ""𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺."
Moses wasn’t asking for more miracles or provision—he wanted a closer encounter with God Himself. He longed to experience God’s presence in a deeper way.
On the other hand, you have people who sought Jesus’ help but didn’t want to know Him personally. Take, for example, the crowds who followed Jesus because they saw Him perform miracles and give them food (John 6). When Jesus started talking about the deeper, spiritual realities of who He was, many of them walked away. They were interested in what Jesus could do for them, but not in truly knowing Him.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴?
So, here’s a question to think about: When we come to God, are we seeking His hand—only coming to Him when we need something? Or are we seeking His face, wanting to know Him more, even if it doesn’t result in immediate answers or blessings?
God loves it when we seek Him, not just for what He can do, but for who He is. And when we do that, something amazing happens: we grow closer to Him, and our lives begin to change in ways we couldn’t have imagined.