Seek my Face

While in quiet time this morning, God was posing some questions to me. "What would you say to Him?" and "What do you want from Him?" After a few moments he went silent, but then in a flurry of thoughts God put the hallmark vision of my life before me. This is the story. 

In an unprecedented change that has never before been seen between God and man, the LORD says to David,

"Seek my Face" (Psalm 27:8)

Let me unpack what this phrase means: "To seek the treasure above every treasure, to the exclusion of generational blessing and suffering we face on the earth"

Actually, I couldn't put it in that few words. What God is really doing here is unprecedented, he's presenting a challenge to David with a very real reward. In Hebrews 11:6 we read:

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.

note the last two words. "Seek Him" God is real right, so why wouldn't he reward us for the work that we do for Him. You could be reading right out of the dictionary for the rest of the phrase, what the writer of Hebrews is communicating here is this, don't just settle for a reward, SEEK HIM.

I have to be honest, I ought to have shared this with an unbeliever, FIRST, which I didn't, even though I had a divine unction to go and do this. I have repented of that.

I knew that it was important to share with others what you had received, but I never knew.

Another thing that is evident from this passage is this: the exclusion of everything else. What I mean by that is this, As important as it is to be drawing from the family lines of former generations (and especially from the cultivated olive root of Israel) it pales into nothing in light of God's holiness. The word holy is literally "set apart from sin" - that is pure, and "set apart from creation" - that is transcendant.

The second statement, "the suffering we face on the earth" plays an interesting part.

I'm not saying that you won't go through suffering for Seeking God's face. Actually, the issue is, anyone who knows God, who believes the truth, is going to draw suffering, but that's not your portion, your portion is JOY.

Even now he asks the question to me, "are you willing to suffer for me? first for your sins, next for your family, next for your fallen broken world who are hostile to hear such things"

I want to repeat this in light of the things already said. And it blows me away, is this. God is challenging and proposing us. This challenge and proposal goes above every such one you have ever heard and accepted on this earth in terms of blessing, glory, strength, and honor in the one you seek.

This only touches the surface. If he's holy, then he only communes with those who know Him, first alone that He cannot be with sin, and second because he's transcendantly above everything created.

O Lord, let this touch our heart!

I'm beginning to think that it is right that we would grip ourselves with endurance that comes through the Spirit of grace, to resist sin, and to resist suffering and persecution.

I do not believe that everyone has heard this call, or they would not be living the same way. David, in reply, says "I will seek your face" do you say the same things?