In His Presence!

In His Presence!

Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually [longing to be in His presence]. 1 CHRONICLES 16:11 AMP

It is interesting to know the context in which today's extract is based on. Just a few months before this account, David had tried to bring in the ark of God from the land of the Philistines back to the place he had prepared for it. He had done all the outer preparations, and had selected the oxen and cart that would bring it home. In the excitement of all of these, something very fundamental went missing: God's clear command on how the ark was to be moved.

Big lesson: God loves for me to be excited about working for Him, but He places more stock on obedience than excitement. Uzzah had the right motive: wanted to steady the oxen carrying the ark, and God struck him dead. You would wonder why God would do this; after all, it was the symbol of His presence Uzzah was trying to defend. With God, the external is not as important as the internal. If David had spent some time going through the law, he would have clearly seen how the ark was to be moved.

Lessons were learnt, the right measures were taken. The foundation of a successful life is seen from today's extract: seek God always. Experience is good, but what kind of experience can you count on, if God is not involved at all? How do I know what is next, if I do not find time to seek his face? The world we live in is complex and unpredictable, and it is only God's sure word that will sustain a man through the storms of life. David must havw known the joy of seeking God's face, and he encourages us to set our hearts on the same too.

It is a continuous process, a never-ending quest. You do not do it once and forget about it, but you keep at it. God has promised to be found by all who seek Him, and there is yet to be anyone who went looking for Him and failed to find Him. The men and women of old staked their lives on this search, and their lives are defined today by their walk with God first, then what they did. I will amount to nothing unless and until I have sat with God and obtained daily instructions for life. Yesterday's news is stale; God is at work today, and He desires to guide and provide definite instructions for life. Would I listen? Would you? His time of favour is here.