Seeking God’s face in prayer.

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“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
“Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
Psalm 27:1, 8 New International Version

We often hear that prayer is powerful, but it’s only powerful because of the God Who hears it. We don’t pray to a vague god or float our voice into an impersonal universe. We pray to a God Who has made himself known to us through scripture and through Christ. He is a being with character and personhood Who has stooped down to meet us where we are. We know Him as Father, Almighty, Healer, Salvation, our King and Comforter, among many other things.

When David prayed in the Psalms He sought God’s face. He faced God and focused on Who He is. Seeking God’s face in prayer is vastly different than flinging requests out into space. He is the focus of our prayer. As we meditate on Who He is, we can have peace and trust Him, that He is listening and moving on our behalf. I wonder how the focus of our fear would shift if we spent more time in adoration of our Lord, the only One who can truly satisfy our hearts and steady our souls in this unpredictable world.

When you pray, where are you facing? Are you pointing out your troubles to God, facing them while He stands looking over your shoulder? Or are you turned toward the face of Him who is your Light and your Salvation?

Lord God, there is no one like You. Grant that we would desire You above all. May we seek Your face in prayer rather than facing towards the troubles that fight for our attention. You are our Salvation, our Light, our Stronghold. What is left for us to fear?

Text and photo copyright Jen Brukiewa