December 06, 2020: Episode 72 | Speaking of Faces
The message that sparked the conversation ... Seek My Face.
Which communicates more: the voice or the face? Be a part of this conversation about interaction, seeking intimacy with God and the vulnerability of prayer.
Discussion Questions
- In a conversation, what do you focus on more (or, what do you remember better afterward?), the person's face or their voice?
- How attentive are you to facial expressions? How has your attentiveness (or lack of) helped or hindered you in your relationships with others?
- How did mask-wearing during the COVID pandemic affect all this for you?
- We've been listening to the OT Book of Daniel, and chapter 9 records an impassioned prayer to God from Daniel for the sake of his people. Daniel prays as an exile in Babylon. He admits to God that his people's loss of the Promised Land and their banishment into exile is a just consequence of their unfaithfulness to God. They've betrayed their God and broken his heart. As you listen to Daniel's prayer, what's a word or expression that "gets" you?
- Daniel admitted that his people did not "seek" (or, entreat, soften) God's "face" (9:13). Many English translations render this as, "we have not sought his favor," (NIV) or, "we did not pray" (cf, KJV), but Daniel uses the Hebrew word, "face." Considering this, along with God's call in Psalm 27:8, "you all (plural) seek My face," what do you think this means?
Practically speaking, how do you/we seek God's face? - Considering this, what are you getting to know more deeply about the God and Father of Jesus?
- How is this good news for you?
- Coming away from this discussion, what do you want to say to people in your household, congregation, or neighborhood?