The Bible teaches us that God is a Spirit, not a human being like us.  Yet the Bible also speaks of God in bodily terms we understand – we call these anthropomorphisms. The Bible speaks of God having eyes, heart, hands, feet, a face, etc.  Having said all that, I firmly believe most of seek the wrong “body part” of God.  We are more concerned with seeking the HAND of God when we need to seek the FACE of God instead.

We pray for health, material possession, relief from our problems, and answers to our questions.  We ask God for many things, yet we do not seem to ask God to make us more like Jesus.  We want God to give us things, but we do not want God to take away those attitudes, actions, and affections that displease Him.

We all know what it is like for someone to befriend us because of what they perceive we have to offer them.  Sadly, we often approach God with the same utilitarian approach.  We want God to give us His best while we offer Him our leftovers. We want the blessings of God, but we loathe the possibility of Him calling us to take up our crosses and follow Him.

Our greatest need is to seek the FACE of God – His presence.  Rather than God’s pleasing blessings, we need His cleansing presence in our lives.  We need the Holy Spirit to convict us of sins in our lives that we might forsake them and draw closer to God.  Rather than asking God to give us more of His blessings, we need to offer Him more of ourselves.

Will you join me in changing our prayers from praying primarily for things and praying instead for the manifest presence of God to move in and through us?

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, “Seek My face.” My heart says to You, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

Hide not Your face from Me. Turn not Your servant away in anger, O You who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! – Psalm 27:7-9

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:6-9