My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. Psalm 27:8

The year 2022 was very special for my wife and me. That’s the year our granddaughter, Sophia Ashley, was born—the only granddaughter among our eight grandchildren. Sophia’s grandparents haven’t stopped smiling! When our son calls via video, the excitement gets ramped up even more. My wife and I may be in different rooms, but her joyful holler reveals that she’s getting a glimpse of Sophia. Seeing those we love from afar is now only a call or click away.

The ability to see the person we’re talking to on the phone is relatively new, but face time with God—prayer with a conscious awareness of being in His presence—is not. David’s prayer in Psalm 27—voiced in the midst of opposition that required assistance beyond the capability of the closest human allies (vv. 10-12)—includes these words: “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming’ ” (v. 8 nlt).

Difficult times rightly compel us to “seek his face” (v. 8). But that’s not the only time we can or should be in face-to-face fellowship with the one in whose “presence is fullness of joy”; at His “right hand are pleasures forevermore” (16:11 nkjv). If you listen closely, at any time you may hear Him say, “Come and talk with me.”

At what time in your day do you find your heart most attuned to God? How can regular communion with Him prepare you for a “day of trouble”?

Heavenly Father, I praise You for the privilege of face time with You. Please help me to always be ready to spend time with You in prayer.

Haggai 1-2; Revelation 17

David’s anxious prayer in the second half of Psalm 27 (vv. 7-12) must be read against his unwavering proclamation at the beginning of the psalm: “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life” (v. 1). David chooses to focus on God rather than on his difficult circumstances. He speaks of Him as his light, which guides him safely into God’s presence and goodness. God is also his salvation, delivering him from dangers and death. He’s his stronghold, providing a strong, fortified place for his refuge and security. Knowing who God is, David rhetorically asks, “Of whom shall I be afraid?” (v. 1). The psalmist needn’t fear, for God won’t abandon him. Rather, “the Lord will hold me close” (v. 10 nlt). David invites us to “be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (v. 14).

K. T. Sim