Seeking Him in Stillness — The Spacious Place

Psalm 27 has been a favorite of mine for years. While struggling with chronic illness, the final verses were a source of great encouragement and hope. “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (v. 13-14) There was something about those words that settled me, bringing peace to my spirit, even in the midst of ongoing pain.

At different times in my life, the Lord has illuminated various verses of this beautiful Psalm. Last Sunday, during a particularly powerful time of worship at our church, these words rose up in my heart:

You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” (Psalm 27:8)

It is not as if I hadn’t pondered this verse before, but it suddenly felt different, more imperative. My heart was connecting with this verse in a way it hadn’t previously.

The Hebrew here actually says, ‘You (the Lord) have said to my heart, “Seek my face.”’ You see, God is the one who places the desire to worship and know him into our hearts in the first place.

He is always there, speaking to our hearts. Yet, we can so often miss the gentle whisper of his love calling us to respond.

Our daily lives are filled with noise. Distraction after distraction pull us this way and that. But the Lord is always there, waiting for us to simply look up from the worldly cares that consume us. He is patient and steadfast, never turning away.

When we take the time to truly seek his face, we meet the face of love—the face of the One who knows us better than we know ourselves.

1 John 4:19 reminds us that “We love because he first loved us.” Our response to God flows from what he does in us first. And in the same way, how we interact with people and the world around us flows from the well of our hearts that must first be filled by him.

God does not withhold his love from us. It is a free gift. BUT…there are things we sometimes do to prevent that love from having the transformational impact God intends.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (ESV) If our hearts become hard, his love will not penetrate deeply; we will not be filled to a level that allows us to experience a natural overflow of his love. And so we are left living from lack—lack of confidence, lack of security, lack of comfort, lack of understanding, lack of peace…

So what can we do?

Our part is to position our hearts to receive the fullness of what God intends for his children. We can’t produce peace or security for ourselves. Nor can we love people the way God does from our own strength. But when we enter the place of surrender, seeking his face, we begin to be transformed into his likeness. And how beautiful that is!

If you long to be transformed by his loving presence, pray with me today…

Loving Father, thank you for making a place for me in your heart and loving me with an everlasting love.

Forgive me for all the ways I’ve allowed my heart to be hardened by the cares of this world.

Forgive me for judging others and holding unforgiveness in my heart.

Forgive me for allowing myself to pulled away from you by busyness and distraction.

Settle my heart and help me to rest in your presence as I seek the beauty of your face.

Soften my heart where it has grown hard and fill me to overflowing,

Help me hear your gentle whisper and kindle within me a longing to be more like you.

In the beautiful name of Jesus we pray. Amen.