#DailyDevotion Our Hearts Tell Us To Seek The LORD
Psalm 27 6Then my head is raised over my enemies around me. I want to bring sacrifices into His tabernacle with happy shouting; I want to sing and play music for the LORD.
David here fully expects the LORD has heard him and has already sent the answer, a favorable answer. Because of that, he is ready to bring sacrifices of thanksgiving. He cannot do it yet because the answer to his prayers have not yet been made manifest. As soon as the LORD has provided for him safety from his enemies, he will bring the sacrifices of thanksgiving with loud praise and music.
It is right that we should give thanks and praise to God our Father when we pray, even though we have not seen the outcome of our prayer. When we pray in faith to the Father, we know the answer will be yes. Jesus promised us as much. He may not answer our prayer in the manner we think He should. He will answer it in the manner which is best for us, in the right time, manner, form and amount. It will be answered in a way for us that is better than we asked.
7O LORD, hear me as I call out; be kind to me and answer me. 8My heart says for You, “Come to Me for help.” I am coming to You, O LORD.
This is something of a convoluted sentence. It is literally in the Hebrew: :To you says my heart, seek his face. Your face LORD I will seek.” It’s the “to you,” that gives some problems. Who is the “to you?” It could be, “My heart says to You.” In that case it would be speaking to the LORD. It could mean that our heart tells the LORD to seek our face, i.e. to be present with us. Then our response would be for us also to seek the LORD, i.e. be in His presence. It could be, “To You,” may heart says, “seek His face.” Again, our response is to seek the face of the LORD, i.e. be in His presence. Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 4, 6“God, Who said: ‘Let light shine out of the dark,’ has shone in our hearts to bring you the light of knowing God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.” We are to seek the face of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Where shall we seek the face of Jesus Christ? In the word of God. When we read devotionally, particularly, the Gospels, we see what Jesus is like and draw near to His face. When we read the epistles which teach us what Jesus taught the apostles concerning Himself the salvation He won for us, we see His face. As we gather together for worship, hear His word, receive absolution and the Sacrament of the Altar, we see the face of Our LORD Jesus Christ. We are in His presence and beholding His glory.
9don’t hide Your face from me; in anger don’t turn away Your servant, but help me.
As we seek the LORD in these means, we beg the LORD to not hide His face from us, to not turn us away in anger because of our sins, but instead to help us. So we begin our services with confession. We confess our sins and turn from them and then turn to the LORD. Thankfully, the LORD is there in the mouth of the pastor, forgiving us our sins in the name of Jesus. He is there to help us with His word and sacrament. If He is there for us and we receive Him, He is there for us as we go out from there, trusting in His Word.
Heavenly Father, grant us Your Holy Spirit, that we may seek Your face in the face of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and may we find in the means of grace You have supplied us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.