SEEKING HIS FACE

I wrote the following devotional for a book I was asked to write for....it hasn't gone into publication yet but I thought I would share this as I've been meditating on this Scripture again.  This anecdote is about our 2nd (and last) child......her big sister was 5 yrs old when she was born and I remember having to explain to her that her baby sister would need surgery.  I'm grateful my mom could come out for a few days and be with our oldest while our youngest was in the hospital. I'm also so grateful for the support we had from our Christian friends. 

“When You said, “seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

Long Lake and Owls Head Mt
SUNSET 
taken from the yard at our cottage
 August 27 2022
A place and time where I often have sought God's face. 

This scripture from Psalm 27: 8 has always helped calm my fears throughout my life. I have turned to this Psalm when I have had doubts and when my faith has faltered. Sometimes I have been afraid of my fears! Has that ever happened to you? It happened to me when our youngest daughter was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. She was diagnosed while she was still being formed in my womb! The ob/gyn assured me this is fairly common and that it would probably pop during the birth and that all would be fine.

All was not fine. After pushing this baby girl out on a snowy December 21st near dawn, she was whisked away for an ultrasound to check on the cyst. And my faith faltered with the words “the cyst is torqued around the fallopian tube and cutting off blood supply to the ovary”.....now I was afraid of my fear of cancer! What if my newborn had cancer? 10 weeks later, she had surgery and the pediatric surgeon removed the ovary and biospied the cyst. It was benign!! Glory to God! But during those 10 weeks of waiting, I went from a woman of deep faith to one who was full of fear. I had to really lean on this Psalm to comfort me. I particularly clung to this verse. When I sought God’s face....really sought Him, He showed me peace. This verse connects with verse 1 for me which states:

"The Lord is my Light and my Salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Looking upon God’s face I see Light. He is the Light of Life...He is my strength and I don’t need to be afraid! I started placing my fears in His Hands...I pictured myself giving over the fear of the “what if’s” to Him and reminded myself to leave it there. I knew in my heart that even if the diagnosis was not something we wanted to hear, that God had plans for this baby girl. I had prayed Jeremiah 29:11 over her and now I needed to stand firm on that Scripture by applying these verses from this Psalm to my life. I sought God daily. I cried out to Him. I called all my prayer warrior friends and we anointed her in oil, laying hands on her to be healed. She wasn’t miraculously healed but God did bring my husband and I peace on the day of her surgery and Glory to God, the diagnosis was not cancer. There is nothing to fear when I place my trust in God and look upon His face for His Light to guide me.

Sunset
 from the boat cruise on Seneca Lake
June 2022

Blessings!!