THE PERSON, THE PROVISION AND THE PRESENCE

        1 Chronicles 16:11 says, "Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always." (NIV) In one verse, Christians have a directive and reminder to engage our personal God. 

        Before you arrive at the "and" in this verse, the strong encouragement is to "Look to the Lord". Notice above and in front of all other meetings with anybody else about any situation, God desires you to seek Him out. This is echoed in the New Testament as well. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus is recorded as saying, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." So, look or seek out The Lord, the person first, as your source for anything and everything and you will have started out on the right foot.

        Directly after the "and" word in this 1 Chronicles 16:11 verse is an example of God our Provider. However, here Scripture is specific as to what we are to seek - God's strength. Life cannot be done alone, especially the Christian life and will need not only physical strength but mental and spiritual strength for our journey as well. In the New Testament, Paul makes a strong, confident statement when he says, "I can do all this through Christ who strengthens me." (NIV) I pray that every Christian be this assured and dependent upon God our Provider, God our Strength.

        Finally, there is the charge for believers to "seek His face always." Notice two things here - first, His face is what is being sought, not His hand because you have already sought and acquired the needed strength. Secondly, God does not desire part-time seekers. God loves for you to be all up in His face seeking Him, just abiding and resting in His Presence - "always".

        In one verse, believers are challenged, encouraged and reminded that our God is a person that desires to be first in our lives. If we comply with making Him first, then we have unlimited resources from Him to manage our lives, but especially His strength. However, nothing compares to after making Him first and gaining His strength - being able to relax and enjoy His presence. So let us all - "Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always." - The Person, The Provision and The Presence.