Are you looking for the face of God or the hand of God?

Have you ever spent time with one of your children, and all you did was simply "spend time?" If you have older children and ask them what they remember most of their childhood, I bet they remember a time when you spent an afternoon participating in fun activities.

As parents, it sometimes takes some time to find out that the thing our children want most of us is our time. But oh, time always seems to be what we find in short supply.

I remember when my son was about four years old. He attended a local nursery school, but it was only a few mornings a week. So almost constantly I had this four year old boy who wanted my time. Everyday. All day.

In the afternoon I would play board games with him. I remember that we would always claim to be "Champions of the world", whoever had won. Of course, beating a four year old isn't exactly something to boast about on my resume, but anyway, I've always tried to make sure the title went back and forth. Well sometimes.

My son and I fondly remember those days as very special moments in which we built a relationship. And the truth is, I had a hard time saying no to my son after building such a strong relationship. I knew that my son didn't go around with me just because of what he could get from me, but the relationship we had built meant that when he asked for something, my heart was more than willing to consider it.

Why is it so difficult to see that as a parent, God is no different?

Relationship is everything
Some see God as a giant Santa Claus. Just send in your wish list and you will wake up one morning to find out that everything is fine. They fail to realize that the relationship is everything. It is the only thing that God wants more than anything else. And it is when we take the time to look for the face of God - who is simply investing in that ongoing relationship with him - that he holds out his hand because his heart is open to listen to everything we have to say.

A few weeks ago I read an extraordinary book entitled Daily Inspirations for Finding Favor with the King, by Tommey Tenney. He spoke of the importance and relevance of Christian praise and worship in building a relationship with God. What impressed me was the author's insistence that praise and worship should be directed to the face of God and not in his hand. If your motive is to love God, spend time with God, truly want to be in the presence of God, then your praise and worship will be fulfilled by God with open arms.

If, however, your motive is to try to gain a blessing, or to impress those around you, or even to fulfill a certain sense of obligation, you have lost the boat. Completely.

So how do you know if your relationship with God is focused on looking for his face rather than just his hand? What can you do to make sure your motive is pure when you praise and worship God?

Spend most of your time with God in praise and worship. To let God know how much you love and appreciate him never gets old to God. In fact, praise and worship are the key that opens the heart of God.
Come to God as you are with an open heart. Letting God see everything in your heart, good or bad, let God know that you value your relationship enough to make him see everything and do all he has to do.
Look for opportunities to offer praise and worship to God in things around you. All you have to do is see a beautiful sunset or one of the many other wonders of nature to offer praise and thanks to God for that miraculous blessing. God appreciates a grateful heart.

Don't be afraid to show God how you really feel while you worship him. There are those who do not feel comfortable raising their hands or showing any emotion during worship services. Yet those same people can be found at sporting events or concerts screaming, cheering and screaming as if it really mattered. I'm not saying you have to jump up and down or scream. Simply standing with your hands open shows God that your heart is open and you want to feel the presence of God. And most importantly:
Don't judge, look down or criticize someone else because they want to show emotion and energy while they worship. Just because an expression of worship is different from yours doesn't mean it's inappropriate or wrong. Focus on worshiping yourself so that your focus remains on building your relationship with God.
Praising and worshiping Christians can be one of the most powerful ways to help you build your relationship with God. There is nothing better than feeling love, peace and acceptance of the presence of God around to you.

But remember, as a parent, God is looking for that ongoing relationship. When he sees your heart open and your desire to know him for what he is, his heart opens to listen to everything you have to say.

What a concept! I search for the face of God and then feel the blessings from his hand.