Goodies or Glory // 1 Chronicles 16:11

by Mark Jordan

What do you tend to seek? Some people look for triumph where others look for trouble. One of the great realities of life is you tend to find what you seek. This is one reason the wisdom in today's verse lands so impactfully, because if we look to God's glory and strength, we will find evidence. But why does it say to seek His face? That advice from King David sought to tell the people to seek a relationship with God as opposed to just the goodies we want. Goodies are found in the hand, but glory in God's face. A relationship with God must be about so much more than getting goodies, but resting in His glory. David went on to encourage people to remember what God did as a reminder that blessings are the fruit of a relationship with God, and the greatest blessing is God Himself. So, if you are looking for hope and help today, seek God first. As Jesus taught later in the Sermon on the Mount, when we seek God and a relationship with Him, everything else we want and need seems to fall into place. May we not get this backwards basing our trust in God in the goodies we seek, but the glory that strengthens and encourages.