Psalm 17:15, “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”

Encountering the face of the Lord means experiencing His attributes, His character, and His presence. Experiencing His glorious presence leads us to seek His face just to know Him. Not for what He can do for us, not for others, not just bringing our requests – We seek Him to know Him! When we seek His face, we find that His hands are open to us as well.

Adam and Eve: Our Sin Causes Us to Hide From God’s Face.

Genesis 3:8: “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence (literally face) of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”

Isaiah 59:2: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”

Adam and Eve experienced God’s presence like we can only dream of. He walked with them in the cool of the day. But after their sin, the first thing that they did was hide.

Our sin still causes us to hide from God’s face. It hinders our relationship, and pushes us away from Him. That’s why repentance is so vital. It’s why Isaiah, when he experienced God’s glory (in Isaiah 6) first said “Woe is me!”

We have to deal with our heart condition. We can’t ignore it, because it will cost us the blessing of Divine Encounter!

Look within yourself. What is keeping you from seeking Him with all that you are? What is keeping you from the Encounter? Deal with it through the blood of Christ, and clear the way for His powerful presence to bring revival to your life!

The Father is Revealed in the Face of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:6: “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

It’s the sin in our lives that pushes us away from God, but it’s in Jesus Christ that we are brought back near. It’s the blood of our Savior that cleanses us, redeems us, and brings us into God’s presence as children instead of enemies!

Jesus brings us to the Father’s table, into the Father’s presence, to the place of seeking His face, encountering His powerful presence, and receiving the blessings of His kingdom.

As we seek the Lord, we should look closely at the teachings of our Savior – for there we will find the very face of our Father, His ultimate revelation. Oh Holy Spirit, come fill us and teach us!

True Revival is Signified by People Who Are Passionately Pursuing the Lord.

This is how we get there: by dealing with our sin, drawing near to the Lord in repentance and faith in Jesus. We ask the Holy Spirit to create in us the desire to seek His face, to know Him – and we ask Him to manifest His powerful presence in our lives. But when true revival comes, it is shown by a passion for God in the hearts of God’s people. What you’re passionate about shows exactly where your heart is.

We can’t afford to be ho-hum about our relationship with Him. We worry about our families, our children, our friends and want them to express faith in Christ, but the real question isn’t about them: it’s about you. (Why do they want to be involved in something that depresses you?)

Are you passionately pursuing God? Because revival won’t come to a ho-hum church, a satisfied people – revival WILL COME to a people who are passionately pursuing God – just for Him, to know Him, to serve Him, to encounter His powerful presence!

I’m tired of being satisfied with knowing about Him. I want His power to come – I want to see transformation and healing, I want to see real, genuine revival.

Encountering the Face of the Lord

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Undone

Student Ministries Pastor, Guyton, Ga.