Seeking God's Face, Not Just His Hand
Psalm 27:8 - NIV
“My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
One of the things God has been teaching me lately is to seek His face, not just His hand. There is an important difference between seeking God’s hand and seeking His face.
God’s hand represents what He can give us — provision, protection, answers to prayer, and blessings. Too often, seeking God’s hand can become focused on “What can I get from God?” We all desire what God can provide, and the possibilities of His provision are endless. Yet God already knows what we need before we even ask Him.
In Matthew 6:31-32, Jesus says:
“Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ … your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
God invites us to bring our requests before Him, but He also desires something deeper than simply meeting our needs.
Seeking God’s face is about relationship. It is desiring Him above all else. It is choosing His presence over provision, intimacy over outcomes, and relationship over results. God wants us to pray and ask Him to answer our prayers, because prayer draws us closer to Him and strengthens our relationship with Him.
David, the author of this Psalm, understood this well. There is a reason he is referred to as a man after God’s own heart. David was far from perfect. He failed and sinned against God in serious ways, yet he continually returned to the Lord in repentance. He longed for God’s presence and feared losing closeness with Him.
In Psalm 51:11, David cries out:
“Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.”
David’s greatest desire was not simply for God’s blessings, but for God Himself. He continually sought after the Lord and desired to walk in obedience and relationship with Him.
We also see this illustrated in the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. Martha was busy serving and preparing a meal for Jesus and His disciples. What she was doing was good and honorable. Meanwhile, Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet, listening to His teaching and simply being near Him. Jesus gently told Martha that Mary had chosen what was better.
This story reminds me that while serving the Lord is important, we must be careful not to become so busy doing things for God that we neglect spending time with God. Ministry, service, responsibilities, and even good works should never replace intimacy with Him. God desires that we know Him more deeply and spend time in His presence daily.
There does need to be balance. It is not wrong to seek God’s help, provision, or answers to prayer. Scripture encourages us to bring our needs before Him. But seeking His face must come first.
Matthew 6:33 says:
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
When our hearts are focused first on knowing God, loving Him, and walking closely with Him, we begin to trust Him more fully with everything else. The end of Matthew 6 reminds us not to worry because our Heavenly Father already knows our needs and is faithful to care for us.
God is teaching me that seeking His face changes my perspective. Instead of focusing only on what God can do for me, I begin focusing on who He is. And when I truly seek Him first, I find that His presence brings peace, trust, comfort, and a deeper faith that He will provide exactly what I need when I need it. Being in God’s presence also gives me rest.
How can we build a closer relationship to God?
Set aside 5–10 minutes every day with no agenda—no requests, no distractions. Simply sit with God and repeat: “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” (Psalm 27:8). This "gets the ball rolling" toward a closer relationship with God. Then you will discover that you will want to spend more time with Him. God will give you a hunger to know Him more and more.
Blessing in our Lord Jesus Christ!
Allyson Hara
