BECOMING SEEKER-FRIENDLY IN OUR DAILY LIVES

          In the evangelical community, you hear a lot about “seeker-friendly” churches. And, when you hear that, what they mean by the phrase, “seeker-friendly,” are churches that are friendly to unbelievers who are searching for God.  Friendly to people who are feeling a call to come to Jesus, but may be nervous about going to a church because of past experiences in other churches or with other believers.  A “seeker-friendly” church strives to be a non-threatening place for people who have been hurt to seek and find the God who heals and saves.  And this is a good thing.

            But “seeker-friendly” and unbelievers reaching out to God and to Jesus for salvation is not what the Bible refers to when it speaks of our need to seek God’s face.  Most of the references in the Bible about seeking God or seeking God’s face are not directed towards unbelievers, but believers.  Throughout the Scriptures, from the Old Testament to the New Testament, the Bible constantly urges us, as believers, to seek God’s face to bring about healing and forgiveness and revival and restoration. 

            We see this most famously in the familiar verses, 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 -- “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  Here the command to seek God’s face is not to the unbeliever, but to believers, to those who have put their faith and trust in God.

            What does it mean for a believer to seek God’s face?

            To seek God’s face as we are told here means that we draw our lives into alignment with God and His will and His ways -- it literally means to seek God’s presence.  As John Piper wrote, “to be before the face of God is to be in His presence.”

            To seek God’s face means we set our hearts and our minds on Him constantly

            To seek God’s face means you seek God with your mind:  What you read, the information you take in, your thoughts, your meditations.

            To seek God’s face means you seek God with your heart and soul:  That means prayer, relationship, and time with God.

            To seek God’s face means we seek God with all your strength:  That means obedience to God’s holy commands, living in righteousness, and holiness of life.

             God promises that if we seek Him, we will find Him.  If we worship Him, He will inhabit our praises.  If we come before Him and humble ourselves and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, then He will hear from heaven and will forgive our sins and heal our land.  

             Revival and restoration of our homes, our communities, and our country starts with believers seeking the face of God.