“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’
My heart says to you,
‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’”
Psalm 27:8

This was one of four Psalms we covered yesterday in our chronological bible plan. I belong to a YouVersion group of about two dozen people. I don’t know everyone, but all are interconnected somehow. If you aren’t familiar with this type of program, I recommend it. The group feature is especially important to me. We are able to see each other’s progress. This serves as an incentive to stay current. It also provides opportunities to encourage others who may be falling behind. We all can look back on times that we have drifted only to find that we had not been faithfully reading our bibles. Wouldn’t it be great to have someone notice this and reach out to see if we are OK? Indeed, it is.

Psalm 27 is one that I have crossed-referenced with Psalm 91 and Ephesians 6. Oh, and Psalm 18, too. You know, the spiritual warfare sections of the bible. Let’s take a look at a few verses.

Psalm 27:1 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?

Man, you could write a song about that! Wait! People have! I need to remember this verse. The Lord is THE stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? There are OTHER strongholds, ones that need to go. “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4) So, I have no reason to be afraid of the strongholds of the flesh because the Lord is THE stronghold of my life.

See what I’m doing here? I’m interweaving scripture. It all fits together so beautifully. This fact proves these as promises which are true – more true than any promise ever given by any mere human. I have nothing to fear or be afraid of. The Lord is my light and my salvation. He is THE stronghold of my life. See? I keep repeating this truth until I believe it to be true and it becomes written on my heart.

How about this one?

Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

Yesterday, the Notre Dame Cathedral burned. While it is said it was France’s #1 tourist attraction and an architectural wonder, it is and always was a trash heap when compared to what we shall one day find in the true house of the Lord. How about the castle that I am king of? Cesspool. That Smoky Mountain vista? Thistles. I’m not saying any of these are of no value. What I am saying is that they easily distract us from what is truly worth seeking – fellowship with Jesus. Until we see him face-to-face, we can gaze upon the beauty of scripture and immerse ourselves in that. Read Psalm 19 for a taste of this.

Here’s another verse:

Psalm 27:8 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

When we study these verses, we incorporate them into our heart. While we were originally made in the image of God, humankind fell in the Garden of Eden. In fact, Romans 3 goes into detail that no human desires God. It quotes Psalms 14:1-3 and 53:1-3 when Paul pens, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God” Yet, we see in 27:8 a command from God to seek his face and a response that says I do seek it. This isn’t a contradiction. It proves that something has changed. We see this in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” When we study these things, we re-affirm this truth in our hearts and spirit. We find ourselves seeking the Lord. The more we seek, the more we want to seek. When we are intentional about this, we find this desire turn to a burning passion!

See what I’m doing here? I’m whipping myself up by recognizing the truth of scripture and immersing myself in it. When I do this, I will find myself naturally telling others about Jesus. The Great Commission then isn’t a command to me but rather a privilege! Who wouldn’t want to share the gospel! Loving others as myself? No problem! I’m gazing on the beauty of the Lord!

Oh, wait! I started the day afraid. What about that? My fear is now gone! The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? As James says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:7-8) Paul says, “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” (2 Corinthians 2:15-16) I tell you what, roll yourself around in all this stuff, and Satan won’t be able to get close to you! You’ll be like the old ladies that can’t tell how much perfume they put on – except that this perfume is the aroma of Christ. Let me roll around in that!

Anyway, have a great day! Roll around in a pile of your own this morning. Let people get a strong whiff of what you have smeared all over you. Be like a dog and put a big smile on your face and greet everyone!

Father, let it be so! Amen.