Seeking the Face of God Every Day
“And He said, ‘My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.’” — Exodus 33:14 (NASB2020)
This morning while attending church, our pastor was sharing a message from Matthew chapter 8 about the Roman centurion who came to Jesus asking Him to heal his servant.
As we read this passage, something began stirring in my heart.
The centurion approached Jesus because his servant was suffering terribly. Jesus responded that He would come and heal him.
But the centurion made an incredible statement. He told Jesus that he was not worthy for Him to come under his roof, but that He only needed to speak the word and his servant would be healed.
The centurion understood authority because he himself was a man under authority, with soldiers under his command. He recognized that Jesus possessed an authority far greater than his own.
Jesus marveled at this man’s faith and said that He had not found such great faith in Israel.
He then told the centurion to go, and that it would be done for him according to his faith. His servant was healed that very hour.
As I was listening to this message, I began thinking about the relationship we can have with Jesus Christ.
Here was a Roman centurion who recognized the authority of Jesus and believed that simply speaking the word would be enough.
He didn’t need to see Jesus perform a miracle before he believed.
He trusted His word.
And as I continued thinking about this personal connection with Christ, my thoughts turned to Moses and his encounter with God in Exodus chapter 33.
I believe the Holy Spirit was bringing these Scriptures together in my heart.
If Your Presence Does Not Go With Us
In Exodus chapter 33, Moses was interceding for the children of Israel as they journeyed through the wilderness toward the Promised Land.
The people had sinned against God by worshiping the golden calf, and God had told Moses that He would send an angel before them, but that He would not go up in their midst.
Moses began pleading with God for His presence to go with them.
Then God spoke these wonderful words:
“My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” — Exodus 33:14
But Moses responded with something that I believe should be the cry of every believer’s heart.
“If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” — Exodus 33:15
Think about that for a moment.
God had promised the children of Israel a land flowing with milk and honey. He had already demonstrated His mighty power by delivering them from Egypt, parting the Red Sea, and providing for them in the wilderness.
Yet Moses understood that the greatest blessing wasn’t the land itself.
It was the presence of Almighty God.
He didn’t want to move forward without Him.
And as I reflected on this Scripture, I began thinking about how important it is for us to seek God’s presence every single day.
How often do we get caught up in our daily routines, responsibilities, work, and personal goals without taking time to seek the Lord?
We may ask God to bless our plans, guide our decisions, and provide for our needs.
But are we seeking Him simply because we desire to know Him?
Are we seeking His face?
Your Face, Lord, I Will Seek
I am reminded of the words of David in Psalm 27:8:
“When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘I shall seek Your face, Lord.’”
What a beautiful response to the invitation of God!
David wasn’t simply seeking God’s hand of provision or His power to deliver him from his enemies.
He desired to know God personally.
And I believe that is the kind of relationship our Heavenly Father desires for us to have with Him.
Not a relationship based only on what He can do for us, but one built upon love, trust, obedience, and fellowship with Him.
Just as the centurion trusted the authority of Jesus’ word, we can trust the promises of God.
And just as Moses longed for God’s presence, we should have a desire to draw near to Him every day.
Show Me Your Glory
As we continue reading Exodus chapter 33, God tells Moses that He will grant his request because he has found favor in His sight.
But Moses wasn’t finished.
He made another extraordinary request:
“Please, show me Your glory!” — Exodus 33:18
I love this!
Moses had already experienced so much of God’s miraculous power.
He had witnessed the burning bush, the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and God’s provision in the wilderness.
He had spoken with God and received His commandments.
Yet Moses still desired a greater revelation of God’s glory.
God told Moses that no man could see His face and live. However, He placed Moses in the cleft of a rock and covered him with His hand as His glory passed by. Then He allowed Moses to see Him from behind.
Can you imagine such an encounter?
Later, in Exodus chapter 34, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai after speaking with God, his face was shining because he had been in the presence of the Lord.
The people were afraid to approach him, and Moses eventually placed a veil over his face when speaking to them.
This was under the Old Covenant, before Jesus Christ came into the world.
And yet God allowed Moses to experience such an incredible encounter with His glory.
Through Jesus Christ, We Can Draw Near
As I think about Moses’ encounter with God, I see a beautiful foreshadowing of the relationship that we can now have with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ.
Jesus came into this world, lived a sinless life, died upon the cross for our sins, and rose again from the dead.
He is now seated at the right hand of the Father.
Through His sacrifice, we have been given access to God.
Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, where we can receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.
Think about that!
The same God who revealed His glory to Moses desires for us to know Him personally through His Son, Jesus Christ.
We don’t have to stand at a distance.
Through Christ, we have been invited to draw near.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:6:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” (NASB2020)
I believe that deep within the human heart is a longing that nothing in this world can truly satisfy apart from God.
We can pursue success, possessions, relationships, and all the things this world has to offer, but none of those things can take the place of knowing our Creator.
Our greatest need is to know God and to experience the revelation of His Son, Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Abiding in His Presence
Jesus gives us another beautiful picture of this relationship in John chapter 15.
He describes Himself as the true vine and us as the branches.
Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it remains connected to the vine, neither can we bear spiritual fruit apart from Christ.
Jesus said in John 15:5 that the one who remains in Him will bear much fruit, because apart from Him we can do nothing.
This is such an important truth.
The Christian life is not simply about trying harder to become a better person.
It is about abiding in Jesus Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out.
As we spend time in His presence through prayer, reading His Word, worship, and obedience, we begin to reflect more of His character.
His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control begin to become evident in our lives.
This is the fruit of the Spirit that Paul describes in Galatians chapter 5.
And this fruit is not just for our own benefit.
It is meant to bring glory to God and reveal His goodness to the people around us.
Rivers of Living Water
Jesus also spoke about the Holy Spirit in John chapter 7.
He declared that anyone who was thirsty could come to Him and drink, and that from within those who believed in Him would flow rivers of living water.
John explains that Jesus was speaking about the Holy Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive.
What a wonderful promise!
God has not called us to live this Christian life in our own strength.
He has given us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, lead us into truth, strengthen us, and transform our lives.
As we surrender ourselves to God and allow Him to work in our hearts, His presence begins to change the way we think, the way we speak, and the way we treat other people.
I am reminded of the words of John the Baptist:
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30 (NASB2020)
That should be the desire of every follower of Jesus Christ.
Less of ourselves and more of Him.
Less of our own selfish ambitions and more of His will.
Less of our pride and more of His humility.
Less of our fear and more of His love.
As we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, our lives become a testimony of the transforming power of Jesus Christ.
His Presence Is Not Just for Us
Something else that has been on my heart is that this life is not just about us.
God desires to work in us so that He can work through us.
The love, mercy, compassion, and light of Jesus Christ should be evident in the way we live every day.
And where does that begin?
Right in our own homes.
With our spouses, our children, our families, and our friends.
It continues with our coworkers, classmates, neighbors, and even the people we encounter throughout an ordinary day.
Sometimes we can become so focused on what we want God to do for us that we overlook what He desires to do through us.
We may be praying for greater blessings, new opportunities, or open doors, but are we also praying for His presence to transform our hearts?
Are we allowing Him to teach us how to love others the way Jesus loves us?
Are we demonstrating patience, forgiveness, and compassion toward those closest to us?
These are questions worth asking ourselves.
Because the presence of God in our lives should produce something that others can see.
Jesus said that we are the light of the world and that our light should shine before others so they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.
What a privilege it is to represent Jesus Christ in this world!
Seek His Presence Every Day
As I close, I want to encourage you today to seek the presence of God above everything else.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
My prayer is that we would have the same desire Moses had when he said:
“If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.”
And that we would respond as David did:
“I shall seek Your face, Lord.”
May we never become so busy pursuing the things of this life that we neglect the One who gives us life.
God desires to hear from us.
He desires for us to spend time with Him.
James 4:8 reminds us that as we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.
And we can trust His promises because God is faithful.
He is not a man that He should lie, as Numbers 23:19 reminds us.
He does not change, and His faithfulness endures through every generation.
So today, I encourage you to pray for the grace of God to surrender your heart more fully to Him.
Ask Him to give you a greater hunger for His Word, a deeper desire for prayer, and a heart that is sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
And remember, there is coming a day when those who belong to Jesus Christ will see Him face-to-face.
What a glorious day that will be!
Until then, may we continue to seek His presence, abide in His love, and reflect His glory to a world that desperately needs Him.
Till next time, have a blessed day in the presence of God!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the incredible privilege of coming into Your presence through Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Lord, give us a heart like Moses, a heart that desires Your presence more than anything this world has to offer.
Forgive us for the times we have become so busy with our own plans and desires that we have neglected spending time with You.
Holy Spirit, continue to transform our hearts and renew our minds. Help us to abide in Jesus Christ so that our lives will bear fruit that brings glory to Your name.
Teach us to love our families, our friends, and those around us with the same love and compassion that You have shown us.
May You increase in our lives as we decrease.
And may Your presence go with us in everything we do.
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
