Gazing on the Father

In Psalm 27:4, King David declared, "I have asked one thing from the LORD; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the LORD and seeking [Him] in His temple (HCSB).

He says just a few verses later, "Lord, I will seek Your face" (v. 8b, HCSB).

The rest of this Psalm tells us that God is the Provider of salvation and Protector in the face of various trials for those who place their trust in Him.

So, what do God's salvation and His protection have to do with gazing upon His beauty and seeking His face? Can't we just be very clinical about our salvation, declare that it is, and move on? Why all this gushy gazing on the Father stuff?

Enter Elizabeth.

One of the earliest joys of fatherhood has been sitting with Elizabeth on my lap as she gazes up at my face and inspects it with a look of interest, amazement, respect, awe, and wonder all wrapped up into one package. She sits for rather extended periods of time and looks at me in such a way that I know she is deriving great satisfaction from simply looking at me.

One day, as Elizabeth sat looking at me in silent wonder, the Holy Spirit reminded me of Psalm 27 and gave me this thought, "when's the last time you gazed on your Father like that? When's the last time you looked on His face just because you wanted to know Him more, just because you wanted to know what He was thinking, and to somehow be able to tell Him how much you loved Him even in your helpless state? . . . When?"

Though she cannot articulate why she looks upon me with such an amazingly curious face, I'd like to suggest that my face has become a constant for her in a world that seems to change everyday - a sign of security, a sign of provision . . . of protection. When she's with her father (yes, her mother too!), she is kept warm, she is changed, she is put to sleep, she is fed, and etc. She may not remember yesterday's sleeping and feeding schedule, but she remembers her daddy, and when daddy is there - it's all going to be okay.

So, when is the last time you looked upon the Father like your life depended upon Him? Like you love Him? When is the last time you sat in quiet awe of the fact that the Holy God of the Universe smiles back on His children when they gaze upon Him? My heart swells with pride when Elizabeth gazes into My eyes, and the Father surely delights in His children who seek His face.

For those who are followers of Christ, we have constant access to the Father through our eternal mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 10:19 - 20). No matter what life may bring, we can always gaze upon our Father . . . we can open His Holy Word and seek His face. There is no salvation and there is no protection worth having found anywhere else.

Lest anyone think I am suggesting that I will be as good a father to Elizabeth as the LORD, consider a comparison that David makes in verse 10. He writes, "Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD cares for me."

Elizabeth has her greatest earthly fan in her father and mother, but we look forward to the day that she truly gazes upon the Heavenly Father for the first of an infininte number of times as she calls upon His Son to save her for eternity and to deliver her from trouble.

In both the joys and trials of life, may we be quick to gaze upon the Father.