“My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.” (Proverbs 27:8 NIV)
This was the scripture shared in yesterday’s pre-service prayer. The priority of the believer is getting close to God. In our minutes together, my friend spoke of the intimacy implied in this scripture. I pictured lovers lying on a pillow, adrift in each other’s eyes. One can spend hours tracing the contours and curves of their beloved’s face. I believe this is the level of knowing and loving that God Almighty is after. Nearness. Trust. Total surrender.
Yet so many things get in the way for us. Careers and families. Calendars, commitments, obligations and entertainment. Far too often, gazing into the goodness of God falls to the bottom of the list, or worse, off the list altogether. We settle for so much less than God has intended. Remember the Garden? Can you recall how man and wife walked with God in the evenings lost in unfettered conversation?
Succeeding in our seeking will require priority. (Remember, the origin of the word priority only permitted ONE priority: it’s intent is singular, not plural.) Seeking is all-encompassing. Seeking God means letting every lesser frivolity fall to second, third, or even last place.
Be encouraged, though. Seeking includes a promise of provision. When we rearrange our life around our appetite for proximity with God; we fin that all the other stuff will fall rightly into place.
“Seek first the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give You everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33 NIV)
It is not lost on my that this beautiful promise about priority and provision is nestled in Jesus’ teaching about possessions and worry. God takes care of His people. Are we fully committed to living as His people?
Honestly, this season of church revitalization and out-of-control inflation has been the most challenging financial stretch for our family since our bible college days. I look back at that season, though, and all I see is provision. We prioritized the call to live for God then and we will continue to prioritize the call today. As we we seek God and His righteousness, we will continue to see His provision, too.
Lord, today we are reminded, our singular priority is living near to You. We recognize our tendency to let lesser things pull us away. Please forgive us. Rewire us. Alter our thinking. Let us meditate on Your promises rather than ruminate on our problems. Reinforce Your truth: seeking You settles everything. Today we are setting our sights on You, sure of Your ability to see after our needs. Amen.