Seek God’s Face Not His Hands

Seek God’s Face Not His Hands

When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. (Ps. 27:8 KJV)

The Lord commands us to seek His face, and the Psalmist responded and said, “Thy face, LORD, will I seek!” Notice what God wants us to seek: His face. He did not say His hands or something else. But what is the difference between His face and His hands?

The face of God is used figuratively in the scriptures to represent the Presence or the very Person of God (Matt. 18:10). The Hebrew word for “face” in the Old Testament is often translated “presence.” When we seek the face of God, we are seeking His presence. A person’s face reveals much about his or her character and personality. We see the inward emotions of a person expressed outwardly on the face. We recognize a person by looking at his or her face. In a sense, one’s face represents the whole person. For the writers of the Bible, the human face could represent the entire person. On the other hand, the hand of God is used to represent His power, blessings, provision, intervention and His works.

The Lord wants us to seek His face, to desire to know Him and draw closer in intimacy with Him. He does not want us to seek Him primarily because of some breakthrough we are looking for, or something else we need to obtain from Him. That is because people who seek God’s hand will often turn back or slow down once they obtain what they are looking for. Seeking His hand often focuses on temporary, earthly situations, while seeking His face leads to eternal fulfillment and purpose.

David said it so clearly in Ps. 103:7: “He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.” (Ps. 103:7 KJV.) Moses knew God and the people knew miracles. Despite the miracles the people saw, they all perished in the wilderness except for Joshua and Caleb. Moses sought God’s face in the tent of meeting (Exodus 33:7-11), desiring more than just God’s blessings; he wanted to know God intimately. However, the Israelites often sought God’s hand during crises (Exodus 17:3-4) but struggled to maintain a relationship with Him. Their journey illustrates the importance of seeking His face for a deeper relationship with Him. 

Though trouble will often be the reason why many of us will come to God, He does not want you to seek Him only when you are in trouble. He wants you to seek His face, to know Him and be more intimate with Him. Let’s be clear, asking is Biblical, and we have a heavenly Father who is waiting for us to ask Him for things. God wants us to ask him for the things that matter to us, both the big things and the small ones. Asking is an act of humility, responding to God for help and acknowledging that we are not in control. However, seeking His face should be the utmost pursuit of our hearts. The truth is “When we seek His hand first, we often miss His face. When we seek His face first, we see His hand at work.”

Seeking God’s face is a call to pursue a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. It is an invitation to move beyond transactional interactions and cultivate a genuine love for God. As we focus on His presence, we experience transformation, guidance, and peace that surpasses our understanding. Let us commit ourselves to seek God’s face wholeheartedly, trusting that in doing so, we will find all that we need.

Seeking God’s face means desiring to know His character and wanting Him—His presence—more than any other thing He can give us.

Sources: https://patrickoben.com/seeking-face-not-hands/; https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/seeking-gods-face-not-just-his-hand-rev-samuel-arimoro-sermon-on-draw-near-287649; https://www.gotquestions.org/seek-Gods-face.html