Everybody, it seems, is searching for something. The devil is roaming about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8) and God is searching throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chron. 16:9). It is interesting to note that both God and the devil are searching for the same thing. They are looking for people who happen to be God’s ultimate creation. One wants to destroy them while the other wants to bless them abundantly (John 10:10). In the same mode, sinners and believers are also searching for something in their lives. Sinners are looking for the same thing as believers but they’re looking in all the wrong places. They dive headfirst into the world of sex, drugs, and money in hopes of finding the same fulfillment and self worth that can only come in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers, on the other hand, know that true fulfillment comes not in things but can be found by obeying the words of Is. 55:6a which tells us to “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” From this verse deductive reasoning tells us that there will come a time when He won’t be able to be found. We must, therefore, take all the more heed to seek Him out while we still have the opportunity to do so.
We must realize that God is never a convenience in life. He must be sought after to be found. Inside each of us needs to be a strong, intense desire that propels us to search out, crave, and strive after a relationship with the one, true God. Ps. 42:1,2a says, “As the deer pants for the water brooks so pants my soul for You, O God. You are my God, early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” The stronger your desire for the things of God, the greater your effort will be in finding them. Ask yourself, when was the last time you turned off the television set and sought the face of God? Do you refuse overtime on Sundays so you can go to church with your family instead? The key word here is “desire.” 1 Peter 2:2 says, “as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the Word that you may grow thereby” and 1 Cor. 12:31 tells us to “earnestly desire the best gifts.” This intense craving will draw you closer to God and cause you to overcome the hindrances of ignorance, carnality, instability, and dullness of hearing. An accurate description of such a search can be found in Ps. 119:15,16, “I will meditate on Your precepts and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes and I will not forget Your Word.”
When the promise of finding God is brought into full manifestation one must forever cling to Him and never let go. Jesus said in John 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you.” The word “abide” means ‘to remain, stay, dwell, reside.’ It means to ‘continue in, dwell in, walk with, live in, and seek after.’ Abiding in Jesus means to live in total unison with God. It also means to take up permanent residence. If you’re abiding somewhere you’re not just staying there temporarily as in a short stay at a motel or a two week vacation with family and friends. Abiding means you’re living there continually. You get to know Jesus by spending time with Him everyday. When you abide in Jesus you think about Him all the time. You think about Him at work and you think about Him at home. You think about Him when you’re shopping and you think about Him when you’re watching a ball game. You think about Him when you’re doing the dishes and you think about Him when you’re mowing the lawn. When you abide in Jesus He becomes the Lord of your life twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. He is your “all in all” and He is involved with you every moment of every day.
As if seeking God and finding Him was not enough of a blessing in and of itself, God rewards all serious “God chasers” with an endless supply of unspeakable blessings. When we earnestly seek Him with our whole heart (Ps. 119:10a) then the blessings of God are sure to follow. Ps. 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord Who daily loads us with benefits.” Heb. 11:6b calls God “a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” When we seek His face and not His hand never again will we have to worry or concern ourselves with whether or not our needs will get met. Jesus said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and He who believes in Me shall never thirst.” Ps. 107:9 tells us, “For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”
When you seek God He will be found by you (1 Chron. 28:9) and in His presence is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). He will not forsake you (Ps. 9:10) and His favor (Lam. 3:25) and His protection (Ezra 8:22) will be ever present in your life. You shall not lack any good thing (Ps. 34:10) and Ps. 37:4 says, “delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Gifts of righteousness (Hosea 10:12) will be yours and God will give you understanding in all things (Prov. 28:5) when you seek Him with your whole heart and make Him your top priority. Never again will you walk in fear (Ps. 34:4) and the absolute life of God will flow through your veins. The Lord said in Amos 5:4, “Seek Me and live.” The gift of life is truly the greatest blessing of all and it comes as a result of seeking the Lord. The end of the age is near and it’s time for the church to get on it’s face and seek God like never before.
God wants a close relationship with us so much that in His infinite wisdom He created a void in all of us that only He can fill. It is His desire that this void would drive us to the point of searching Him out so that He can fill that emptiness with love, joy, peace, and a sense of fulfillment so deep and meaningful that it can only be described as heaven on earth. Remember, God must be sought after to be found. To show the importance of this there is at least one circumstance in the Bible that describes the consequences for not seeking God. 2 Chron. 15:12,13 says, “Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their soul; and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.”
Always remember that if the work done at the cross did not change the message of the old covenant, then the same principles still apply today. No, you will not be taken out and killed for not seeking God but there is an adversary out there seeking a way to destroy your life. Our only hope in avoiding this dreadful calamity is in the arms of our loving Savior. 2 Sam. 22:31b says, “He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” He is ready, willing, and more than able to help you out in life’s difficulties and bless you abundantly, but He must be sought after to be found. We must, therefore, be careful not to brush off into nonexistence the importance of seeking God. It truly is a matter of life and death.
