Seek!

Seek!

Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. 1 Chronicles 16:11 KJV

Here was David, seeking to do what was right about the ark of the Lord. There had been a breach in the past, when the ark of the Lord was returned by the Philistines, and those who were not qualified to carry the ark did so. The ark was put on a new cart, driven by oxen, contrary to God's express instructions on how the ark was to be carried. God did not consider that the ark was being returned by the Philistines; Uzzah who put out his hand to help the oxen which stumbled was struck dead by God. The rules of engagement by God are such that they brook no opposition or breach. If God lays down the standard, it is not a defence that I had no choice, or that it was the only option available to me. A breach of God's rules always leads to consequences. 

Do I know this God? Have I met him? Is he my Lord, Master, Guide and Saviour, and do his rules direct my affairs? Do I seek to know him and his ways, so I can be careful to obey all that he commands? I cannot claim to know a God whose words I do not know or whose voice I do not recognise. It is by a daily search and regular engagement that God becomes personally known by me, and his instructions become my guiding principles for life.

David, from personal experience, knew the value of knowing and following this God. He was called a man after God's heart because he knew who God is, what he desires from men, and how man can be a friend of God. The secret, from David's lifestyle, is a heart that seeks after God. Note this: it is not a search for the tokens or symbols, but the actual presence of God himself. 

Men seek the symbols and the tokens. We love the dramatic and the visible. We clap at the miracles, signs and wonders, but we forget that these are the extra toppings, not the whole essence of the search for God. We want men to see the glory of God upon our lives, so we live for man's applause, recognition and respect, forgetting that none of these things can be a valid replacement for the presence of God. If God is not there, it does not matter what anyone says. If God is there, it also does not matter what anyone says. 

Seek the Lord. Seek his strength. Don't settle for the loud and the dramatic. Don't let the view of men push you into compromise or settling for anything less than God's best. When I seek God, I am saying that I recognise he is the One who matters. He is all that matters. At the end of the day, all other things like human applause and approval never last; only God does.

I don't get to do it for some time and then stop. I don't get to do it for a season and then tire out and seek other options. It must be a continuous search, one that only rapture or physical death will end. As long as I breath, it must be the only thing that counts as a priority. And it is his face I seek, and when you are trying to get someone to look at you, you focus on catching his attention so he can notice you. You cannot afford to be distracted, and to be busy with other things. 

That is the attitude: working for God is not the same as walking with God. I must set my priorities right, so I can be all that God intends for me to be. His face must be my utmost concern and focus, so I can get all that he intends for me. I cannot pretend, because he can see through hypocrisy or pretence. I must be sincere in my search, because the benefits of seeking and finding God have eternal implications. May I find the Lord and may my life reflect his grace. His time of favour is here.