The Joy of Seeking God

In yesterday's post, I quoted Psalm 34:1-4 which says:

"I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears."

This has very much been my experience over the last couple of weeks, in particular. If you'd like to learn a little more of where I am right now, in the ongoing "narrative" of my healing, then check out the following update I posted on "The Prayer Firewall":

The Call to Prayer

Yesterday I focused on the first part of that quoted psalm -- the part that says I can "magnify" the Lord in my life through my praise and thanksgiving. Today I want to focus a little on the second part of Psalm 34:1-4, particularly verse 4:

"I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears."

The key to faith is in seeking the Lord. Faith is not about a distant mental assent about God's existence or his characteristics. It is a vital motivation that drives you to seek God's face. As David wrote earlier in Psalm 27:8:

"My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!' Your face, LORD, I will seek."

You cannot separate true faith from seeking God. That's why Hebrews 11:6 tells that one of the two important components of faith is believing "that [God] rewards those who earnestly seek him." Seeking personalises faith and focuses it upon a Person, not on a need.
In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus gave the ultimate promise to the one who believes. In The Amplified Bible, this reads:

"Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened."

The key to seeking the Lord (and thus the key also to genuine faith) is to seek the Lord "with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13 tells us:

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

As far as God is concerned, it is -- and always has been -- an issue of the heart. Faith is not some magical formula that forces God's hand so that we get what we want. Faith is the stuff of relationship. God seeks to draw faith out of our heart, so that we focus with all of our being on Him. That's why Hebrews 11:6 says that "without faith it is impossible to please God..."

Psalm 9:10 provides a wonderful insight into the character of God, particularly in the light of Hebrews 11:6. It declares:

"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you."

I particularly love Psalm 40:16, in The Amplified Bible, for it ties together the last two posts with these wonderful words:

"Let all those that seek and require You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified."

Some time ago, the Lord gave me Psalm 105:4 as a command:

"Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always."

So that is what I continue to do. In my weakness, I "look to the LORD and his strength." In my time of need, I "seek his face always." And the result, as I shared yesterday (see "The Spiritual Magnifying Glass"), will be that the Lord will be magnified in my life -- not just in my own personal experience, but in the view of others. My prayer is that, in all things, God will indeed be magnified!