Seek My Face
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Seek My face
Seek My face
13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 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 will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Seek: Search for something; Strive for something; Ask for something; Head
for something; Attempt something
Two different Hebrew words are used to express the idea of seeking the LORD in this verse.
LORD in this verse. The first word is darash (דָּרַשׁ), which means to inquire
The first word is darash (דָּרַשׁ), which means to inquire
or search carefully for something, and the second is bakash (בָּקַשׁ), which
means to request something desired. Both kinds are seeking are needed,
and in this order.
a. We do not make this mental and emotional effort to seek God because
he is lost. That’s why we would seek a coin or a sheep. But God is not lost.
b. Seeking the Lord means seeking his presence. “Presence” is a common
translation of the Hebrew word “face.”
Literally, we are to seek his “face.” But this is the Hebraic way of having access to God. To be before his face is to be in his presence.
Literally, we are to seek his “face.” But this is the Hebraic way of having access to God. To be before his face is to be in his presence.
c. the Bible repeatedly calls us to “seek the Lord... seek his presence continually.” God’s manifest, conscious, presence is not our constant experience. There are seasons when we become neglectful of the Lord and He is “un-manifested” our lives.
c. the Bible repeatedly calls us to “seek the Lord... seek his presence continually.” God’s manifest, conscious, presence is not our constant experience. There are seasons when we become neglectful of the Lord and He is “un-manifested” our lives.
d. God’s presence is not with us always that is why we are told to “seek his presence continually.”
e. “Setting of the mind and heart” on God is the conscious focusing of our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection on God.“Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.” (
19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.”
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“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
d. Seeking through trials and tribulations: The seeking is the conscious effort to get through the natural means to God himself—to constantly set our minds toward God in all our experiences, (good and bad) to direct our minds and hearts toward him through the means of his revelation. This is what seeking God means. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
e. Obstacles in life: There are endless obstacles that is blocking our way we must get around in order to see him clearly, and so that we can be in the light of his presence. And as we direct our minds and hearts God-ward in all our experiences, we cry out to him. This too is what seeking him means.
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.”
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
Seeking involves calling and pleading.. “If you will seek God and plead with the Almighty for mercy...”
5 If you would earnestly seek God
And make your supplication to the Almighty,
The great obstacle to seeking the Lord is pride. “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him”
4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
God is in none of his thoughts.
Therefore, humility is essential to seeking the Lord.
The great promise to those who seek the Lord is that he will be found. “If you seek him, he will be found by you”
9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.
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The heavens are telling the glory of God. So we can seek him through that. He reveals himself in his word. So we can seek him through that. He shows himself to us in the evidences of grace in other people. So we can seek him through that. Prayer is a conversation with God. So we can seek him through that. Thanking Him for all His blessings and provisions, we can seek him through that.
“Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him”
6 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.
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