Seeking
God longs for us to seek him. This glorious maker that can move mountains, that designed the starry skies, that can name every hair on every one of our bodies, wants to lavish us in his love (1 John 3:1 NIV). He wants us, he has called us his masterpieces (Ephesians 2:10 NLT), his bride(Isaiah 62:5 NIV).However, because we have free will, we aren’t forced into an active relationship. We aren’t forced to pursue him. We aren’t even forced to like him. And he’s used to rejection, his people have turned their faces and their attention from his loving pursuit time and time again. Yet he is never far from us, he is always there, he is always holding our hand (Isaiah 42:6 ESV). He always wants our attention to be on him, our devotion to be in looking for his face.
Because we have confessed our love for him, because of our recognition of his son as our one and only savior, because we have confessed our sins to him and he has forgiven them, we should seek him.
To seek means to actively pursue, to continually strive for, and to ask for. In fact God is the ultimate pursuer, he has taught us what it means to continually seek. He has shown us what seeking is from seeking out Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden after they ate from the tree of knowledge to pursuing every one of his children’s hearts by sending his only son to make a way for us so that we may bring Him glory. Seeking God is a natural part of our relationship and walk with our loving and sovereign maker.
There are 5 main reasons for seeking, pursuing, striving for, or asking for our God.
1. He wants us to, so that we can be with him and praise him for all of his glory- His word makes it clear over and over again that he wants us to seek him.
1 Chronicles 16:11: Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
Acts 17:26-27: And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. (ESV)
2. Seeking Him is part of our repentance for our sins- By turning from our mistakes we show that we truly want to be as focused on him as possible.
2 Chronicles 7:14: If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (ESV)
3. He promises to reward us with answers and truths- Maybe my favorite part about God is that he sees us in all of our yuckiness, and yet he is still holding our hands through it all (Isaiah 42:6). He is still pursuing us as his brides. As our bridegroom he wants to be our help, no matter what is causing us pain. He promises us that if we just ask for him, just look for him, he will reveal his presence to us. He will show up with a fist full of truths and our hearts will be joyful because of it!!
Jonah 2:2: Saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
Jeremiah 33:3: Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. (ESV)
Questions:
1. When do you feel closest to God?
2. What can you do to bring yourself closer to him?
3. Do you seek God, even in the middle of tough times?
Challenge:
The next time you are upset, instead of turning your face down and away from God, turn your face up towards Him and your future home and ask him for his comfort to pursue his presence.
