Back of His Head

12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
--1 Peter 3:12

There is nothing more disheartening than feeling as though God is not paying any attention to your situation--especially at times when you really need guidance. But God faces only one direction--in the direction of what is true, good, holy and points towards the fulfillment of the coming of His kingdom. When I don't hear from God I know it's probably because I'm talking to the back of his head. It's probably because something in my life is not in line with God's clear desire for me (Job notwithstanding). God does turn his face away but really because we've already done the same. And so when we don't hear from God, the answer isn't always to simply keep asking and waiting, though it may involve that too. The answer is to get right with God. The answer is not to diligently seek answers for specific prayers but to seek God. " And all these things will be added unto you." (Matt 6:33) When we get right with God we will start to hear from Him, because we will be talking to his face.