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N E I L   A N D E R S O N   D A I L Y   D E V O T I O N A L
             from Freedom in Christ Ministries

January 22

SEEKING GOD'S FACE

My heart says of you, "Seek His face!" Your face, LORD, I will
seek (Psalm 27:8 NIV).

"If the sun is shining in the morning, I'll do it." "If he's
there when I open the door, I'll know he's the one." "If I pass
the class on world missions, I'll be a missionary. If not, I'll
be a local pastor."

We all know better than this, but it's amazing how often
scenarios just like these pop into our minds. Such propositions
are referred to as "laying a fleece" before the Lord or "seeking
a sign."

The term fleece comes from the account of Gideon. In Judges 6,
Gideon is called by God to deliver Israel from the Midianites.
Gideon questions whether God is even for Israel (verse 13), and
he doubts his own ability (verse 15). So he asks God for a sign
(verse 17). God gives him one, then tells him to tear down the
altar of Baal. Gideon is afraid to go during the day, so he goes
at night.

Then he questions again whether God will deliver Israel. This
time he puts a lamb's fleece on the ground. If God will deliver
Israel, then the lamb's fleece will be wet in the morning and the
ground around it will be dry. The next morning it is so. That
ought to satisfy him, right? Wrong! Wanting to be sure, and
hoping that God won't get too mad, Gideon asks Him to do it
again, but this time with the opposite result (i.e., the fleece
dry and the ground wet). Not exactly the stuff heroes are made
of. But God answers Gideon's request and then He reduces Gideon's
army down to 300 men!

The whole point of the passage is that God, not man, is the
deliverer. God chose a man desperately seeking assurance and
reduced an army down to nothing so that the victory would clearly
be His. The fleece wasn't a means of demonstrating faith; it was
just the opposite. And it certainly wasn't used to determine
God's will. God had already told Gideon what to do. Gideon was
questioning the integrity of God, just as we do if we ask for a
fleece when God has already shown us His will. "An evil and
adulterous generation craves for a sign" (Matthew 12:39). As
God's people, let's seek the face of God.

Lord, forgive me for the times I have looked for sign instead of
seeking Your face. I commit myself today to walk only in the
faith revealed in Your Word.


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