If you have had loved ones long distance... Skype and other face to face cyber meeting spots make everything more bearable. I love letters and the written word - but a face to face meeting says more. Even a phone call is not as good as "face to face" and "eye to eye".
They say the eyes are the window to the soul. Sin makes us want to hide our face from God. It has been that way since Adam and Eve.
This verse is beautiful in it's simplicity. Thursdays can thrive... but sometimes it helps to keep it simple. This scripture, Psalm 27:8, is from the New Living Translation. It reminds me of young Samuel in service to Eli, learning how to listen for the Lord's voice.
The ESV is slightly different:
You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”Psalm 27:8
The message is clear. The Lord say, "Come and talk". "Seek my face." A face to face meeting makes a difference in a relationship. Ignore the "face to face" and a relationship breaks down.
With God, it is a little like a child playing "hide and seek". In the beginning, they attempt to hide by hiding their face in a corner, under a blanket or closing their eyes. No matter what part of their body is exposed, the feel invisible. They embrace the idea that "If I can't see you - you can't see me." As older siblings and parents, we laugh at this behavior and find it adorable. The innocence of the child's belief that "If i can't see you, you can't see me."
Funny, but as grown ups, we can fall into this same belief in our relationship with God. The all seeing eye of God is dismissed or ignored. That is, until we are in trouble. Micah issues a warning for those who boldly and defiantly ignore God's instructions, then come crying when in trouble. This is not about our sin struggles, but our intentional defiance.
Then they will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil. -Micah 3:4
Micah is speaking to rulers and "prophets" who lead the people in the wrong direction. Seeking what they want and not seeking God's face. This is another great verse from Jeremiah addressing the need to seek His face:
"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." -Jeremiah 29:12-13
God's instruction isn't - "Call me if you need something." It is "Call me daily. Know me. Let me into your life. Let my grace guide your days. Trust my love because you know me." Jesus taught it in this way:
And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you;seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Luke 11:9-10
Face to face meetings are best. Remember the child "hiding" in plain sight. Am I that child?
Today, I am grateful for face to face meetings.
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