Seeking

Do you remember playing hide and seek? I have fond memories of playing it with my siblings when I was a child. How far did you have to count before you could go seeking other players? Did you always find them?

In the Scriptures we are told to “seek the Lord.” He’s not actually hiding from us, but we do need to put a little effort into seeking and finding Him.

1 Chronicles 22:19 (NIV) – Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. 

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) – If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Psalm 63:1 (NIV – A psalm of David, when he was in the Desert of Judah) – You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

Psalm 105:4 (NIV) – Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) – But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

But we aren’t alone in seeking. According to Luke 19:10, Jesus is seeking too: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

One dictionary definition of the word seek is this: to try to find or get something, especially that is not a physical object. That fits with the fact that our seeking is something spiritual. We’re talking about the kingdom of God here and it’s not found without sincerity and effort. Did you notice the word “diligently” in the Hebrews passage above? That’s not lackadaisical or haphazard.  It’s a conscientious and industrial pursuit.

What is it that we are diligently seeking? Earthly fame and fortune? Or the Lord Himself. That’s where the reward is greatest. How’s the seeking going for you?