“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” (Col. 3:23)
Men set goals, perhaps not for the entirety of their lives, but many for much longer than just the day ahead that awaits them. Whether it be several years to ensure that their children are raised in the Lord as best as they as individuals will accept that training, building a house or repairing an item, men set goals and the purpose of their lives until that goal is met is that goal.
“When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.” (Psalm 27:8)
For the man of God this goal supersedes all others, his wife and family, all those he loves and cherishes, his employment field, even to the feeding of the poor and witnessing for the Lord, although these and all other matters of life are not neglected, for we work as unto the Lord, seeking the face of God is the entirety of purpose for this man. Goals can be hindered, projects can be halted, circumstances beyond our control can remove the possibility of any further forward motion on any and all things that we attempt to accomplish, seeking the face of God can only be stopped by our own free will.
Frustrations brought on by unforeseen circumstances are one of the greatest factors in this continuous search, towards the never-ending fulfillment of Proverbs 8:17, “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”
There are two points to consider here, one is the inability of that man to pursue the goal set because of his own personal limitations, he has been given a measure of faith, and although he may have a great desire to serve the Almighty in the role of, say, a pastor, instead he has been called to be a teacher. To attempt to go beyond what we know we have been called to do, to attempt set a path before us not directed by the Lord will cause, great frustrations and failure, and many men who are truly saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ have attempted to walk for many years where they were not called.
The other would be attacks from our adversary, and those may cause the greatest frustrations if we do not keep Romans 8:28 in the forefront of our thoughts. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” If you are not each day allowing your heart and head to hear and understand what it is the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, seeking the face of God will stop being your priority, the goals of life will and the frustrations that arrive when those goals are hindered.
A singular focus is needed, and that focus must be determined by you.
“And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” (Acts 9:5) Even Paul had to learn this lesson my friends.
If you can find no peace for your soul in those moments when the path becomes difficult to see, then you will learn no lesson on that part of the path, we are to seek the face of God even in the darkest of night, when there is no light visible at all. If the goal is hindered then perhaps the Lord has another goal for you to reach, but you will never accomplish it if your first priority is not seeking His face.