Seeking His Face

I just received a box of business cards. I know, what does a retired person who has no business need with business cards? I might be a victim of good advertising—or at least persistent advertising—but I did it anyway. I didn’t order 500 as was suggested—I’m not quite that foolish—I’ll be dead and gone before I ever gave away that many!

But while I was designed my card, I had the option of putting something on the back side of it. Three words came to mind and here they appear again in my verse for today.

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” (1 Chronicles 16:11) In the context in which this verse was recorded, David is celebrating the arrival of the ark in Jerusalem. The verse is part of a song of praise (16:8-36) written to remind the people of God just Who this God is, and all that He has blessed them with as a nation. It is well worth the reading, and the singing—you can make up the music as you go along—I’m sure David won’t mind if you change his melody a little!

But back to those three words. They are “seek his face.” Even while David is reminding his people of how often the hand of God has been seen in their history, he also enjoins them to simply seek Him for Who He is not just for what He has done, or can do.

“Give thanks to the Lord…Sing to him, sing praise to Him…Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice…great is the Lord and most worthy of praise…worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Tremble before him…Give thanks to the Lord.”

My “business-less” card also has a strange feature to it. I chose the image of an aloe vera plant as part of my design. No, I am not into growing and selling aloe vera—in fact, I don’t even have one in my house. But the aloe vera is known for its healing properties and somehow it encompasses what happens when we truly seek his face—He comes alongside and enters in and heals our souls.

That’s my “business” — to seek His face and encourage others to do the same.