Beholding Your Face

“As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness: I will be satisfied, when I awake, with your likeness” (Psalm 17:15).

In Psalm 105 we are exhorted to “Seek His face (presence) continually”. The only way we can seek Him or “behold His face” is in righteousness as the above verse proclaims. As Christians, we know that we seek Him not in our own righteousness, but the righteousness that comes from the Lord through faith in His great sacrifice at Calvary. We know that this is what Jesus meant when He told Nicodemus that “except a man be born again (born from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ We are alive spiritually to the Lord in this way only.

“And being in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Philippians 3:9).

We not only come to the Lord in this manner but we are kept by the Lord in this manner alone. Our continued faith in the cross (Christ crucified) allows the Holy Spirit to work in our lives drawing us closer to the Lord (His Face) and providing the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. This is the only way that we are to walk out our lives.

“Who are kept by the power of God through faith” (1 Peter 1:5).

We are kept by the Lord by faith in His great sacrifice at Calvary. We are not only to believe this for our salvation, but also for our daily walk with the Lord. Of course, we should pray, read the Word each day, attend church, and fast as we seek the Lord, but we are not to have our faith in these things to overcome the sin and failures in our lives. This is not the way the Lord intended for us to live out our Christian life, and these things, although good and beneficial, will not bring us the victory we seek. We are called to walk by faith and when we do, the Holy Spirit will bring the victory we seek.

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the Divine Nature” (2 Peter 1:4).

We are to be partakers of the divine nature, this is accomplished by the Holy Spirit in us as we deny our own ability to walk out this life and place our faith totally in the Lord. I know in my own life when I first came to the Lord and was born again; it was wonderful. I had been forgiven and knew my savior had paid the price for me to be free. My faith was totally in the One that loved me and died for me. But then, in reading the Word or hearing it preached, I realized that I did not measure up to the Word in many areas of my life. I could see what my life should be like as a Christian, but I didn’t know how to accomplish it. I found myself failing in my walk with Lord and unable to get victory. The Apostle Paul also experienced this:

” I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do (obedience to the Lord) I do not do but what I hate I do (fails in his own strength)” (Romans 7:15 NIV).

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh dwells no good thing (our own ability)” (Romans 7:18).

I thought if I prayed more and read more of the Word, then I would find victory. But that was not to be. What I had done without realizing it was I had transferred the faith I initially had in the Lord for everything, to faith in the things I was doing for victory. All these things (i.e. prayer, Bible reading, etc) we’re very good things and something we should do every day, but they will not bring victory in our life. The only way to walk a victorious Christian life is by faith in The One that died to provide the way. Paul learned this when he realized that the answer for victory over sin was not in himself but in a Person. When he came to this realization, he boldly proclaimed the following:

“O wretched man that I am (attempting to live for the Lord outside of faith in Christ crucified alone)! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death (he now realizes in himself there is no victory)? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord (the only way to victory in our lives through faith in Christ and Christ alone)” (Romans 7:24,25).

The only way to walk with the Lord in victory is to place and keep our faith in Jesus and Him crucified. We will have trials and battles in this life, but with our faith firmly placed in the Lord and His great work, we have found the anchor for our soul. If we move our faith from the Lord to other things, no matter how good they are, we will drift and could even lose our way.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise Him” (Psalm 28:7).

Praise the Lord for He has accomplished it all. He has provided a way, and that way is Jesus and the cross. Don’t be tempted to leave the way, it is our only path to victory.

“You (the Lord) have said, ‘Seek My face.’ My heart says to You, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’ Hide not your face (presence) from me” (Psalm 27:8).

The Lord said, “Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. We, even as Christians, can labor outside of the Lord’s prescribed order of victory if our faith is not in His great work on the cross continually. The rest the Lord speaks of is both for salvation and our daily walk (sanctification) and is found in faith in His finished work. He will never turn us away or hide His face or His presence from us if we walk His way – and what a glorious way it is that He has provided. Let us behold His face and the wonderful salvation and victory He has provided for us. The following verse says it all, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image (likeness) from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” As we behold his face (presence) through His righteousness (by continued faith in Christ and him crucified) we are changed into His Image (by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives). Glory!

Follow to receive email notifications regarding new articles

Scroll down to read additional articles

Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2019