Recently I was in my living room with my children. Both had been constantly whining and complaining throughout the evening. If you’re a parent you know what I’m talking about. I was actually proud of myself for keeping my cool and just allowing them to hash it out on their own. There were constant requests for this or that only to, seconds later, throw it down in disgust because it was not what they wanted. By the end of the evening I was frazzled and just needed a break. My son approached and asked, “Daddy will you read this to me?” Side note: this wasn’t the first time he had done this and it ended in him complaining he didn’t like the book. Just desiring a moment of peace – and assuming this wasn’t going to end well – I politely declined and asked him to go watch television for a few minutes until bed time (don’t judge me-you’ve probably done it a time or two as well). He’s asked again, “Please, daddy?” Again I declined, asked him to watch TV, and continued staring at Facebook on my iPad. He climbed up in my lap, placed his hands on both sides of my face and gently directed my face and eyes to his. Again he asked, “Daddy, please read to me.” I looked into his eyes and I saw it. He was desperate for me to read to him. He realized he was unable and needed my help. For the first time that evening he had found something he desired of me and wasn’t in the mood to complain any longer. His request was genuine. I gladly placed my iPad to the side, beckoned my daughter over, and proceeded to read to them both.
Have you ever been desperate? I mean REALLY desperate? Consider losing your child in a crowd. Do you think you would be desperate to find him/her? Consider being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Do you think you would be desperate to find a cure? Consider being deep under water and have no air left in your lungs. Are you desperate yet? These questions seem ludicrous, I know. The answers are obvious. Consider this – have you ever noticed we never see a need to spend time with God until we want something from Him? A need arises and we decide to visit our ‘gumball-machine-God’ (I’m not being sacrilegious rather bringing attention to how we treat God), put a little more offering in the plate on Sunday, and start praying harder. Why does it take emergencies and dire situations before we seek his hand and intervention? When the blessings are abundant we tend to forget He’s there. Why can’t we be desperate for God’s face every single day?? Not His hand…..His face. A relationship with God shouldn’t be about what He can do for us rather seeking His face. When my son crawled in my lap and made me look into his eyes he had my undivided attention. He desired not only my attention but my presence in His life. When I looked in those beautiful brown eyes I could see the desperation. As his father, I couldn’t turn away. With my attention (my face) comes my hand. When he has my attention I would just about do anything in the world for him. It’s the same way with God. If we would seek His face we wouldn’t need to worry about having His hand in times of need. Coincidentally, didn’t He already say He would supply our needs ” …according to His riches in glory…?” With His face comes His hand, heart, and favor beyond measure.
The author of Psalms 63 puts it this way [vs. 1-4], “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.”
Final thoughts: I encourage you to learn to seek His face and not His hand. If you seek His face you will not have need of anything else. Desperations isn’t always a bad thing. Get desperate for Him today and see how it changes your life!