Not His hand.
Not His blessings.
Not His miracles.
His face.
What started as a single verse slowly became a pattern. I began to notice it everywhere in Scripture. Genesis. Psalms. The Prophets. The Gospels. Revelation. Once my eyes were opened, I could not unsee it.
This is not poetic language. This is biblical language.
In the King James Version, references to the face of God appear approximately 90 times across Scripture. God does not repeat Himself casually. Repetition reveals priority.
From the very beginning, the face of God represents access.
When Cain sinned, his cry was not about punishment. It was about separation.
“And from thy face shall I be hid”
Genesis 4:14 KJV
To be hidden from God’s face meant to lose covering, direction, and nearness.
Yet later, Jacob encounters God and says,
“I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
Genesis 32:30 KJV
What should have destroyed him preserved him. God was already revealing mercy long before the law.
Then comes the covenant blessing spoken over Israel:
“The Lord make his face shine upon thee”
Numbers 6:25 KJV
Blessing does not begin with provision. It begins with God turning His face toward a people. Everything else flows from that.
David understood this deeply.
“When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.”
Psalm 27:8 KJV
Book of Psalms
Notice the order. God speaks first. Seek My face. The response comes from the heart, not obligation. Seeking God’s face is always God initiated. Awareness itself is invitation.
But Scripture also reveals something sobering and necessary.
“The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.”
Psalm 34:16 NKJV
This verse adds balance to the revelation.
The face of the Lord is not neutral.
It shines toward righteousness, humility, repentance, and truth.
It is set against persistent evil, injustice, and rebellion.
God’s face brings blessing to some and resistance to others. Not because He is unfair, but because His face represents His holiness. To live before His face is to live accountable.
David understood that seeking God’s face meant alignment, not entitlement.
Moses carried this understanding even further.
“The Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.”
Exodus 33:11 KJV
This was not physical sight. Scripture later makes clear that no one can see God’s full glory and live. This was relational clarity. Unfiltered fellowship.
And Moses refused to move without it.
“If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”
Exodus 33:15 KJV
That is maturity. Refusing progress without presence.
The prophets speak of seasons where God hides His face, not to abandon, but to correct and draw hearts back.
“And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face”
Isaiah 8:17 KJV
Silence was not rejection. It was invitation.
Then comes the turning point of Scripture.
“For God… hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
2 Corinthians 4:6 KJV
What was once veiled is now revealed. The face of God is made known in Christ. Seeking the face of the Lord is no longer distant striving. It is conscious living before Him.
And Scripture ends where the longing began.
“And they shall see his face.”
Revelation 22:4 KJV
No veil. No separation. No interruption.
From Genesis to Revelation, the face of the Lord spans law, worship, judgment, repentance, redemption, and eternity. It tells us something essential.
God is not calling us to do more.
He is calling us to come closer.
But coming closer requires alignment.
The face of the Lord blesses righteousness.
The face of the Lord resists evil.
The face of the Lord exposes, corrects, and restores.
This season is not about speed.
It is about alignment.
And if you are reading this, it is not coincidence. It is invitation.
“Seek ye my face.”
And may our hearts continue to answer,
“Thy face, Lord, will I seek.”
I’m Dr. Ruth Hephzibah
Ruth Hephzibah Haven 