Seek His Face, Not His Hands

Often, we allow the hands of God, instead of His face, to become our focal point. We seek His hands instead of trying to get to know and fellowship with Him. We’re always trying to get something from Him. We want God to speak to us. We want to feel God in a certain way. We want to hear God in a certain way. Then, we walk away untouched and frustrated. Why? Because we are preoccupied with receiving a particular touch instead of just being with Him.

Let me give you an example. One day, when I was sixteen years old, I felt the Holy Spirit impressing me to fast for three days. I had been saved for about a year and had never done that before. On day one I was OK—a little tired but good. The second day, I was really tired and frustrated, and I had a hard time tapping into the presence of God. On the third day, I was angry and spent, so I started yelling at the Lord. I was very immature in the faith, and in my immaturity, I remember telling the Lord, “Here I am fasting and seeking You, and I’m not hearing anything. I’m not seeing anything, and I’m not feeling anything. You know what? Forget it. I give up on this.”

I was starting to doze off when the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart clearly: “Oh, Chris, you’re seeking My hands when you should be seeking My face. Repent.” I immediately knew I had to adjust my heart. I said, “Holy Spirit, forgive me. You’re right. I’m sorry. I have been too preoccupied with seeking Your hands instead of Your face.” As soon as I adjusted my heart, the Lord spoke very clearly to me and showed me some things that would mark me for the rest of my life. But before that word came, there had to be a heart adjustment—a simple heart repositioning.

Many times, the Lord wants to give you Himself, but if you focus too much on His hands, you miss His face. When you seek His face, you will receive those hands. Again, it will often take a simple adjustment in the heart to enjoy God’s presence and become finely tuned with Him. If you’re the type of person who says or thinks, “You need to talk to me, God; I need to hear from You; I don’t feel You,” you are pushing and striving to be still.

Being still is an act of trust, of letting go. It is also an act of faith, and God is pleased with faith. He wants to speak—at the right time. He will speak to your situation at the right moment. Get to a place where the posture of your heart is simply to know Him. Don’t focus too much on trying to feel or hear God. Rather, focus in prayer on getting to know the Lord intimately and enjoying His presence. Remember what communion is—the sharing of thoughts and feelings in a deep, intimate, and spiritual way. You will find that when you posture your heart for communion, you’ll begin to easily discern God’s will. You’ll begin to easily hear from the Spirit because you’re not pushing; you are just communing.

One way we often get out of touch with the Spirit is by becoming selfish. We get in our own way. Our desires, wants, cares, and concerns—we become consumed by all these things that grip us. We become me-centered. We place all our attention on ourselves. The great I Am is God, but if we’re not careful, we will replace Him with the great me. “I need this”; “I need that”; “Give me, give me, give me!”

Instead of focusing on yourself, how about giving the Lord your time? How about giving the Lord your life? How about giving Him your soul, heart, mind, and strength? How about you present yourself to Him?

To learn more about Chris Garcia’s new book, Fresh Oil, visit MyCharismaShop.com