Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. 1 Chronicles 16:11.
The bible says that no man has seen God at anytime, except Christ, who is the only begotten Son of the Father who has come down from heaven to declare him unto us. Moreover, when Moses asked God for the favor to see what his face resemble, his response to Moses was that there is no man, while living in the flesh, seeing his face, shall live to tell the story of how God looks like.
Then, what does it mean to seek after the Lord and his strength, to seek his face continually? By the way, this is a spiritual call for a genuine passion to prioritize God and his interests above all things in your life. This text is all about your prayer life and walk with God. It is all about having more time with God in your private and corporate prayer life.
This text calls for unceasing laborious pursuit and enquiring after God (a) to have, keep and increase intimacy with him if we obey the call to seek the Lord and his strength, to seek his face continually. God crave for our intimacy with him and he calls for it every now and then – draw nigh unto God, and he will draw nigh unto you. James 4:8. As we grow in our intimacy with God through constant prayer fellowship (evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. Psalms 55:17), worship and praise (seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments. Psalms 119:164) we will be in positional advantage for a quicker access into his thoughts and into revelatory understanding of the mysteries of his kingdom.
The enemy’s intent is to draw us away from God’s presence through divers distractions of assaults and problems, but we can receive daily strength and help to overcome his evil desire if we give ourselves to prayer: give us help from trouble, for vain is the help of man. Psalms 60:12.
What was the enemy’s problem with Daniel in the land of Babylon? Was it not about his intimacy with God, his uprightness and unceasing prayer life? So, they targeted his prayer life with unrighteous decree, that no man should ask anything from any God, except from the king. Daniel 6:12.
Is God not our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble? Why should we not then seek his face for strength and help by pouring our heart before him continually in prayer? Psalms 62:8. Note: those who truly have God as their sole refuge and help will hold him dearly in their heart in constant fellowship with a true and sincere heart, lips and tongue every day and night – blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Psalms 119:1-3.
Other things can come after, but those who seek his face continually will not trifle with their intimacy with God with any social media application distractions, not for a free lunch or dinner, neither for any carnal pleasure or the sleep of a lazy prayer less spiritual man, with the knowledge that there is the fullness of joy in God’s presence, and at his right hand, pleasure forever. Psalms 16:11.
Naboth will not give his father’s inheritance for gold or silver in exchange, he will not part with his vineyard, except King Ahab, through Jezebel had him killed to possess his vineyard. Do we have any other inheritance in Christ greater than the privilege and access to enter into the holy of the holies to commune freely with God as long as we want to -uninterrupted? Walk away from the enemy who seek to lessen, quench or negotiate with your prayer life in exchange for other things, the health of your life in the spirit depends on it. Note: those who will not seek after the strength of the Lord through constant prayer will not have his strength to walk in his way – I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of yours only. Psalms 71:16.
Many shall stumble and fall, lost and perish in the way of eternal life, except those that will lengthily, consistently and diligently seek after the Lord and his strength, to seek his face continually for strength and guidance through intensive and unceasing prayer lifestyle to follow after the Lord until the end shall possess their mountain and inheritance in the Promised Land.
From the book of Joshua chapter 14 verses 6- 14, we see Caleb made mentioned of the faithfulness and strength of the Lord who had kept and made him strong and agile at the age of eighty five as when he was at forty years old, when he first received the promised. He cleaved to the Lord in his walk and prayer life with all his heart until the fullness of time to possess his promised inheritance in the land of Canaan.
The early church habitually prayed at every three hours intervals to srve and walk with God. Anna the prophetess, stayed continually in the temple, and prayed and fasted day and night to serve God after a few years in marriage leading up to her husba’nd’s demised. Now that you are the temple of God, you should serve and seek his face continually every day and night by prayer and fasting until you see Christ face to face in heaven.
If you are not a man or woman of prayer and of the undiluted word of God, you are not yet started to walk with God. It should be an overstatement that the sole purpose of our life on earth is to be seeking after God’s face while we have our being, so that, if we found him as Lord and God of our salvation, we can walk with him in the knowledge of his ways, will and manner; though we have not see him, yet we love and believe in him.
It is a necessity for the believer to seek after the strength and face of God continually, because in him we live, move and we also have our existence. Acts 17:28.
It is also an obligation with serious implications if we neglect it, for the present fulfillment and future success of your being and of your eternal security depends on the value and mindfulness you put to the call to seek after the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually: this is the sum of your life and walk with God on earth until your time on earth is over.
The bond of the relationship with God cannot be strengthened if great value of diligent time and care is not placed on your constant enquiry and pursuit after God: for thus says the Lord unto the house of Israel, seek ye me, and ye shall live: but seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity and Bethel shall come to naught. Seek the Lord, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel. You who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth. Amos 5:3-7.
It is good to know that you don’t seek after God like a medicinal tablet to be taken only when you are sick, because there is a particular problem or battle you are presently facing. This type of mentality and spiritual attitude will not always be favorable to you at the end because you don’t have intimate relationship engagement with God. You should be devoted, a constant and habitual follower and worshipper; by so doing, you position yourself in readiness for any sudden, immediate or future problems, so that you are not caught unaware, but you are spiritually, mentally and morally ready, aware and conscious of the enemy’s devises, but well prepared in the strenght of the Lord for any eventuality.
Those who failed in the days of adversity are dissapointed by their illusional reasonings of divine protection and presence when they themselves have not been constantly seeking the Lord’s face to walk with him, and abide in his presence. To walk in his presence here is to be guided constantly by the Lord. To abide in his presence is to walk or go around doing your daily routine, but being filled with the spirit of God on daily basis through your morning, afternoon and evening spiritual oblations.
Was not the Lord led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil after his forty days of fast? It is the strenght of the Spirit of God in Christ from the fast and prayer which supplied the grace, wisdom and power to resist and overcome the tempter. Thus, we see that Christ was fully prepared before he encountered the tempter, not that he sought after God’s face to fast after he had met with Satan. This is excatly what many people do when they fast and pray after they fall into sin, instead of seeking the face of God in advance for strenght and power against the days of temptation.
You don’t see the flood of the ungodly coming after or before you because you don’t seek the face of God as you should. Was Christ tempted without sin? Yes, you can also overcome your temptations without sin if you will follow after Christ pattern of watchfulness through fellowship attachment with the Father. You must watch and pray, if you don’t want to, or not enter, or fall into temptation. You must seek the face and strength of God against the days of temptation, against the evil days through daily and constant approach to the throne of grace, that you may obtain mercy, and to find grace to help in time of need or when trouble will come (Hebrews 4:14-16): the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. Psalms 27:1-5.
Those who will sincerely, faithfully and tirelessly keep up in their spiritual duties and devoted love and fellowship with God in season and out of season, will have him taking care of their enemies, wars, troubles and other cares and threats of their adversaries until he give them rest from all woes – until he perfect his plans, purposes and will in their lives: though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou will revive me: thou shall stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. Psalms 138:7-8.
As long as we live, let there be no duration or given length of time to pursue and enquire after God: this is God is our God, forever and ever, and he will be our guide, even unto death. Psalms 48:14.
God is timeless and immeasurable. His understanding is infinite and his greatness is unsearchable, but if we set any false limit to our relationship with him to entertain the attainment of certain delusion of spiritual growth, height and achievement, such will also determine the length and measure of God revealing himself to us or through us: the Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. 2 Chronicles 15:2. Note: to have increasing glory, increasing revelation and knowledge, to grow from grace to grace, and to increase in the fullness of the spirit of God are imbedded in seeking God and his strength, seeking his face continually.
There is a spiritual longing and vacuum which can never be filled in us as long as we are alive in the flesh, until we see the Lord face to face in glory: therefore, we must seek his face and strength continually until he takes us away to be with him where he presently is: canst thou by searching find out God? Canst you find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. Job 11:7-9.
Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise? Psalms 106:2. Except those who seek him continually with their whole heart, but once we relax or slacken in prayer, fasting and steady righteous life, what shall be left behind is a story of the past glory, and not the testimony of the Lord who does not change, who is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Either it is the judgmental (1 Kings 21:19), situational (1Thessalonians 5:16-18), general (1 Thessalonians 4:3) or personal will of God (Romans 12:1-3), evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all things. Proverbs 28:5.
To know and to understand what the present will of the Lord is, it is imperative, as a matter of necessity and obligation (when you said, seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, your face, Lord, will I seek. Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. Psalms 27:7-8) to seek the face of God continually, if we are not to fail in our present call and assignment as well as in our celestial accountability of stewardship: now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. Acts 13:1-3.
Everything concerning the will of God for individual’s life in Christ Jesus is not immediately and totally unfolded from the onset (but rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee. Acts 26:16), but things concerning the will of God are made known to his children according to his timely season and purpose, even as individual seek his face in their daily walk after the Lord for his present and immediate or future will to be made known to them.
Christ is the true, satisfactory and imperishable treasure hidden in the field of this world that all men should seek after. Matthew 13:44. We shall see Christ as he is, and we shall be like him, if we continue to seek and walk after him in purity of heart and lifestyle in the light of his word. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Psalms 24:3-6.
What are you doing in preparation to meet your God? How are you praying and what are you praying for in preparing to meet your God? How are you seeking the face of God in prayer before and until you see him just as he is in glory? Amos 4:11-13.
Foolish men keep building on the sand by seeking after earthly inheritance, fame and faded glory, but those who are seeking after a better country, where God is the architect, builder and maker will be made wise and content to leave all their lesser material earthly blessings behind them in separation to wrestle alone, by seeking the face of God in an earnest prayer for a changed life into the increasing transforming image of Christ.
This is what is it to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness for a better, lasting and celestial blessing, just like Jacob did at Bethel, shortly before his reconciliatory victorious meeting with his brother Esau. Had he not resolved to seek the face of God at that moment for the occasion to meet Esau, how catastrophe could it have been for Jacob and for his entire family and household? And he rose up that night, and took his two wives and his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. Genesis 28:22-25.
It is not until we continually and insistently seek after the face of God in an earnest prayer in our spiritual warfare, life and daily walk before him, then shall be a change for our Jacob who was formerly a liar, deceiver, supplanter and pretender to become Israel – an honest, new, pure and truly changed, who as a prince hast gotten power with God and with men, and hast prevailed (Genesis 32:28): he took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spoke with us; even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial. Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment and wait on thy God continually. Hosea 12:3-6.
Whenever your heart is overwhelmed, let God take you to the Rock that is higher than you through your prayer. Do not allow your problems to drive you to dialogue, compromise or exchange your present blessings and future glory for earthly corruption: hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. Psalms 61:1-3.
Problem overwhelmed Elijah’s heart and emotion to ask for physical death while God has prepared a glorious exit for him out of this earth without seeing death. Remember how the prophet ran away from the city of revival as the result of Jezebel’s threat over his life shortly after his glorious victory over the four hundreds false prophets of Baal. As the result of this, he lost divine guidance, begged and sought after death, instead of seeking after God’s face for whats’s next to do. An angel was sent to redirect him to the right place (Mount Horeb) where he can meet with God for a new direction and guidance after his will.
You must seek the face of God for every new problem and new foes. He has different solutions and answers for every situation, question and problem whatsoever. He will never forsake them that seek him for anything (Psalms 9:10), but in everything will he shine the light of his countenance upon them to show his might in their situation (I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. Psalm 34:4-5), if they sincerely involves him for everything that is going on in their lives through prayers and through continual fasting in the uprightness of heart (but when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold. The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? will you deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand. And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baalperazim. And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them. And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shall not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when thou hears the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shall bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer. 2 Samuel 5:17-25): therefore, be not wise in your own eyes, but in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:6.