November 30, 2023

Psalm 105: 4 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. (NIV)

We may speak about a place where there are no tears, no death, no fear, no night; but those are just the benefits of heaven. The beauty of heaven is seeing God.*

We all know that when we’ve lost something we always find it in the last place we look – no point in looking anywhere else if you’ve found it. With that principle in mind, we might think that the psalmist, by telling us to seek the Lord’s face always, is implying that we will never find it. Now there’s a sad thought. Could it be that we misunderstand his meaning?

According to St. Augustine’s interpretation, seeking God’s face always isn’t just an ongoing earthly task but an activity that continues on into eternity. Not because God won’t let us see his face but because “God is so great that we never finish our searching. He is always new.”* 

Now we get the picture – not of something lost or hidden – but of something that we never get tired of looking at. So, now, the psalmist’s words sound like good advice, because if you’re going to get tired of seeking the Lord’s face, eternity isn’t going to be so pleasant for you.

Just how much are you looking forward to seeing the Lord’s face? Personally, the older I get, the more I long for it. Is it because I am getting older and nearer to death? Maybe there is some truth in that. But the heart of my longing is found in the words of a song: the longer I serve him, the sweeter he grows. I really look forward to being in the Lord’s presence. I hope you do, too!

Heaven will seem more like a long-awaited homecoming than a visit to a new place.*