Seek His Face
ICS Daily Devotions
Psalm 34:4-7 (NKJV) I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.
David’s fearlessness or lack of inhibition in seeking the face of God came from his conviction that the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. Also, because He was convinced that he was righteous, He acted righteously by refusing to lay hands on King Saul despite numerous opportunities to do so. This passage encourages us to seek the face of God.
David was alone when he was fleeing from Saul. The spirit of fear could have overwhelmed this young man as he was being hunted down by King Saul and his army. As a fugitive, it couldn’t have been easy falling asleep at night. However, he testified in this Psalm that angels were encamped around him. Though David was in deep trouble, he was assured of God’s help and protection. Instead of being overwhelmed by anxiety, David learned to seek the face of God and cried out to Him in prayer.
Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
In the Old Testament, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies which represented the presence of God. The veil in the temple that separated the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom when Jesus dealt with the sin issue that separated us from God by offering His blood in the Heavenly Tabernacle. Therefore, all of us who are hidden in Christ and blessed with the gift of righteousness can approach the throne of grace with boldness to seek the face of God and ask Him for help and deliverance. For this reason, we are more blessed than David, and should do even greater exploits for God. We will do more when we truly know God and understand what He has done for us through Jesus. We are highly favoured and greatly blessed by God. His eyes are on us, and His ears are attentive to our cries, because we have been made righteous in Christ.
God listens to the cries of the His covenant people, and He responded to the Israelites’ cries when they were suffering as slaves in Egypt. Likewise, David testified that God heard his cry and saved him from all his troubles. We must not allow the spirit of fear to immobilise us with all our concerns. Instead, we are to cast all our cares and anxieties to the Lord because He cares for us, and we should meditate on His perfect love towards us. He has our best interests in mind and desires the highest good for our lives. We must guard our minds and not allow anxiety to overwhelm us. By intentionally meditating on the Word of God, especially His promises of deliverance and protection, we will keep the peace of God in our hearts and our minds.
Sermon Series: Great Adventures and Great Exploits
