November 2, 2020
“When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, LORD, I will seek.’”—Psalm 27:81
I wish that all My children would seek Me for the direction and guidance they need, and that they would ask Me to light their way. How much easier it is to find your way in the light than in the darkness, and to put your hand in Mine and let Me lead you in the way you should go, rather than trying to find your own way, or stumbling down the wrong roads and having to backtrack.
My promise to you is that if you ask, you will receive, if you seek, you will find, and if you knock, the door will be opened to you.2 These are My words. “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”3 These are My promises. If you seek My guidance with all your heart, I will answer and show you the way.
As the days ahead grow darker, you need My light to lead you in the way. As the world becomes more complicated, you need My guidance to get through the maze of these complications. As you seek Me and My direction and help, I will guide you with My wisdom, and give you understanding.
“The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”—Numbers 6:25–264
The victories, the battles, the triumphs, the tests, the problems, and the obstacles you face are all part of life. All those who live for Me are faced with problems—both the problems of the earthly life and the battles of the spiritual warfare.
But I am the answer man, and for each problem, there is always a solution, or many solutions. For each battle, there is always a lesson and a victory. For each test, there is always a testimony. As My children turn to Me and lean on Me and call on Me, I will never fail to answer and provide.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and I have promised to do great and unsearchable things if you place your trust in Me.5 I am able to do exceeding abundantly above all the things that you ask of Me, and above all the things that you can imagine!6
So commit each and every care to Me and let Me help you carry the weight and run the race that is set before you. Spend time with Me each and every day—time to come into My presence, to seek My face, and to allow My face to shine upon you and fill you with My peace.
“Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.”—Isaiah 30:157
When you’re in a tough situation, your mind tends to go into overdrive. You mentally rehearse possible solutions at breakneck speed. Your brain becomes a flurry of activity! You scrutinize your own abilities and those of people you might call upon for help. If you find no immediate solution to your problem, you start to feel anxious.
When you find this happening, return to Me and rest in quietness. Take time to seek My face and My will rather than rushing ahead without clear direction.
I want you to have confidence in Me and My ways—patiently trusting in Me even when you can’t see the way forward. Whereas anxious striving drains you of energy, quiet confidence will give you strength. You can trust that I will not forsake you in your time of need. Keep communicating with Me about your situation, and be willing to wait—without pushing for immediate resolution. Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength.
Direct your thoughts to Me more and more. When you are working on a challenging project, you tend to seek My face and My help frequently. This pleases Me—and it enhances the work you are doing. There is a delightful rhythm about this: You look to Me in a listening mode; then you act with the help of My Spirit. This is repeated over and over as you and I collaborate on the project.
Being attentive to Me takes sustained effort, but this collaborative way of doing things does not drain you.
I encourage you to live more and more of your life in this way. When the task before you is less challenging, you tend to be less attentive to Me. You may even forget about Me for a while as your mind slips toward neutral. You forget that you live in a world at war—with an enemy that never rests. This is why the apostle Paul admonishes Christians to be alert and always keep on praying.
The more you direct your thoughts to Me, the more alive you will feel. This prayer-privilege is not a chore. It’s a joyous lifeline!8
“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”—John 15:119
Fear not when My yoke seems too heavy, and the problems and challenges you face appear too big. While these may be too large for your strength and wisdom, remember that with Me all things are possible!
Ask that you may receive, that your joy may be full. I will give you joy in place of sorrow, if you will ask. I have promised to give wisdom to anyone that asks, and to give it liberally and without reproach.10 Ask, therefore, and trust that I will not fail to provide.
I am the Good Shepherd who shows kindness, patience, compassion, and mercy. I have protected you and kept you these many years, even when you stumbled and fell. I have overlooked your faults, failures, and shortcomings, and picked you up and shown you the way forward. Even as I have done unto you, I would that you do to others.
Give, and it will be given unto you! Give of yourself, of your time, of your blood, sweat, and tears, trusting that everything that you spend in love for others, I will repay.11 Even when you feel spent and incapable and like you have no more to give, trust that you will receive My grace in good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.12
Originally published in 1997, unless otherwise indicated. Adapted and republished November 2020. Read by Simon Peterson. Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 NKJV.
2 Matthew 7:7.
3 Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV.
4 ESV.
5 Jeremiah 33:3.
6 Ephesians 3:20.
7 NLT.
8 Sarah Young, Jesus Today (Thomas Nelson, 2012).
9 NLT.
10 James 1:5.
11 Luke 10:35.
12 Luke 6:38.
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