Word of Encouragement (5/19/2026)

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! For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. (Ps. 27:7-10)

Before David offers specific petitions, he asks the Lord to hear him and answer what he is about to ask of Him (v. 7). This is the mother of all prayers, isn’t it? It is like the goose that lays golden eggs, so to speak, and all other petitions are like the golden eggs. If we have the assurance that God hears our prayers, does it matter what kind of trouble comes at us and how big they are? All we have to do is bring our petitions to Him, who is greater than all our problems. And in the process of praying and having our petitions heard, we grow strong in our faith in God. The greater the problem, the more our faith grows. What a great blessing the gift of prayer is! It is indeed a gift that keeps on giving.

What does David specifically ask for? “Your face, Lord, do I seek” (v. 8). Why this specific petition? First, it is because this is what God commanded him: “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’” God’s command is to be obeyed. It comes to us with His divine authority. We cannot disobey God’s command without provoking His righteous wrath. This is not because God has a short fuse, so to speak. He is patient and long-suffering. Were it not the case, He would have destroyed the world a long time ago. But it is only natural that a violation of God’s command should provoke His anger, especially when a puny little creature dismisses the command of the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth as nothing. And it is only natural that sin should arouse the wrath of a holy God. It is only right that we should honor the authority of our God and Maker by obeying His commands “right away, all the way, and the happy way.”

But if we should obey God’s commands, it is also because they are good. God is good, therefore, He would not command us to do anything that is not good for us. Is it not good for us to seek His face above all else? The Hebrew word for “face” can also be translated as “presence.” Obviously, to be before someone’s face is to be in his presence. It is the most terrifying thing to be in the presence of God as a sinner; he can expect nothing but God’s all-consuming wrath. But if God inviteㄴ us to seek His face, it is because He wants to bless us, not to destroy us. This is possible, for David and for us, only on account of Christ’s covenant righteousness as our Savior and Representative.

If we are in God’s presence on the merit of Christ, it is the safest and most blessed place. We can expect the abundance of His blessings. We can drink from the river of His delights (Ps. 36:8). We will sing, “…in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11). If God is the Fount of every blessing, can we seek anything better than His face?

What is your prayer and what are you seeking these days? May this prayer of David be your prayer.