Experiencing God's Presence #232

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Psalm 27:8, NIV

You have a need. You know God can meet that need. You’ve asked Him to do so and believe He will. But while you wait—and you will almost always have to wait for at least some period of time—what do you do? What attitude do you hold in your heart?

You know the obvious answers to that question: patience, trust, and faith, for example. But one of the best ways to interact with God in the meantime is to worship Him. And one of the best ways to do that is to worship Him specifically for the “face” you need to see. If you need provision, worship Him as Provider. If you need healing, worship Him as Healer. If you need victory, worship Him as Victor. Every need you have—comfort, strength, mercy, etc.—corresponds to one of His attributes. While you wait for Him to step into a situation to resolve it, praise Him for the way He can step into it.

What does that accomplish? For one thing, it cultivates faith in God in the area in which you most need it. It acknowledges that God can meet your need for that issue, and the more you do that, the stronger your confidence in Him grows. But more than that, worship of God becomes a testimony of His goodness and power. Daniel’s friends declared God’s ability to save them from the furnace before they entered it, and their praise glorified Him before and after the crisis (Daniel 3:16-18). Jesus praised the God who hears prayer before He raised Lazarus, and His declaration became a testimony for those who believed (John 11:41-42). God honors those who go out on a limb because of what they believe about Him.

Father, You are able and willing to meet any need I have. While I’m waiting for Your intervention, I acknowledge who You are, what You can do, and how faithful You are. You are exactly what I need in every way.

From the book