"At the heart of the Christian message is God Himself waiting for His redeemed children to push in to conscious awareness of His Presence." – A.W. TozerDavid was a man after God's own heart who wrote such inspiring scriptures as, "The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not lack anything…" (Psalm 23) and "I will sing of your love and justice; to you O Lord, I will sing praise. I will be careful to lead a blameless life – when will you come to me?" (Psalm 101)Yet the scriptures reveal that David was embroiled in an affair with Bathsheba, breaking multiple commandments including the treachery of having Bathsheba's husband, who was one of David's own soldiers, murdered. How can this be?The Bible is Not filled with two-dimensional comic-book-like heroes that always do good and never stumble. God's Word gives us a realistic picture of authentic people of faith who are tempted by sin and sometimes fall. Their stories are preserved for us as teachable moments. Are we listening?You can find books about "affair-proofing" your marriage or a 1001 ways to lose belly-fat. However, what about down-to-earth books on taking some intentional steps to guard our faith?"Before God's Face" looks at some familiar Bible stories and asks the question: What can we learn so that we can have a closer walk with the Lord? This study looks at Bible stories using a lens that is summed up in the Latin phrase: coram Deo. It means 'in the presence of' or 'before the eyes of God'.By putting elements of this discipline into action, we can protect ourselves from spiritual amnesia and other pitfalls and enhance our walk with Christ. We need to learn to live with the constant awareness of the presence of God and act accordingly. Developing this approach over the past few years has made a big difference in my life and I pray that it can do the same for you.Seeking His face is living coram Deo. Brother Lawrence said, "And I make it my business only to persevere in His holy presence …. in a word, this is our profession… we must learn it"It is my reverent prayer that the advice in this book will inspire readers to seek God and pursue a closer walk with Him. The best way I know to learn this discipline is for us to learn to dwell in His presence, in the light of His face as if we were literally before Him. I invite you to take this journey with me as together we learn the spiritual discipline of coram Deo.Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord. (Psalm 89:15 NLT).
