Seek & Find

You're calling me to lay aside the worries of my day
To quiet down my busy mind and find a hiding place – from the song Unashamed Love

God has been calling me to commune with Him and, to my shame, I have been rather slow in responding. I’m so easily distracted and so easily pleased. Ministry can be distracting. Relationships can be distracting. Change can be distracting. Burdens can be distracting. Anything really can be distracting. It doesn’t take much to lure my mind and affections away from Christ.

Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:40-42

Oh, how many times has the Lord applied this verse to me! Like the old hymn goes, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it.” And I do feel it. But what’s awesome is that the Lord is never distracted. His pursuit of His children is constant. He is gentle, never forceful, but He is persistent, and He will do whatever it takes to help us to see how much we need Him.  

The Lord has been reminding me through sermons and Scripture of His desire for intimacy with me. He is not so much concerned with me serving Him as He is with me knowing Him. The former naturally and beautifully flows out of the latter. The God of the universe wants to meet with me. Whoa. Over and over we see in Scripture the command and call to seek God. “Come to Me.” “Abide in Me.” “Seek Me.” “Delight in Me.” And when we do so, He promises we’ll find Him. He promises to meet with us. He promises to give us Himself.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Revelation 21:3

So after becoming weary and worn and unsettled, I have finally started responding to the Lord’s call by carving out more time to spend with Him, taking thoughts captive, and meditating on His promises. I am in no way saying that this is works-based. The amount of time I spend with the Lord does not affect my standing with Him. Jesus does not favor me more or less (as hard as that is for me to grasp!) if I spend 2 hours with Him or none at all. But how can I clearly discern His voice, how can I be strengthened and refreshed in His presence, how can I abide in His love and peace, if I do not seek His face, soak in His Word, or desire His presence? His love and favor and grace and mercy are never failing and He lavishes them upon us, but we do have a part to play. We are commanded to ”seek His presence continually” (Psalm 105:4). And we cannot do that apart from the means which God gave us; by relying on His Spirit to illumine His Word as we read it and direct our prayers as we raise them. He is worthy of us seeking Him with our whole heart. He is worthy of such attention and devotion. Our search will be rewarded. We will find Him (for He is very near - Psalm 145:18) and we will not be disappointed.