Seek The LORD

Isaiah 55:6 (NKJV) 
⁶  Seek the LORDwhile He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.


Daily millions get up early to do one thing. To seek the Lord. They will do this through intense Bible reading, Bible meditation, prayer and private worship. Some journal. Some sing. Some sit. Others kneel. Many any lie on their face to seek their God. This is a habit kept by followers of Yahweh through the ages. A rich heritage passed on to us. 

I love reading biographies and autobiographies. I am always fascinated by the devotional habits of those heroic men and women of God. Their approaches to God often different but there are similarities. Regular Bible reading. H.A. Ironside read through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation 14 times by the time he was 14 and he was not even saved yet! He made reading through the Bible annually a life long habit. George Mueller did the same. He completed reading through the Bible 200 times before he died. 

My point is not how many times a person can read through the Bible. My point is that people meet God in the pages of the Bible. He has divine encounters that cannot be described for the serious Bible reader. If your motivation is to seek God in the pages of scripture you will not be disappointed. God has more to reveal about Himself than any have a mind, heart or desire to discover. 

I am humbled by the prayer lives of people like E.M. Bounds, John Hyde, Reese Howells, Evan Roberts and Leonard Ravenhill. They got early. Some as early as 2:00 a.m. to seek God. They sought Him in prayer for hours. Notice I did not say an hour. They prayed for hours on end. Ravenhill was reported to have prayed about eight hours a day by his wife. A.W. Tozer often got lost in wondrous worship flat on his face in prayer. 

Seeking the Lord is not easy. Nor is climbing up to the summit of the mountain. There is little reward on the upward journey it may appear. It is grueling and taxing to the body and mind. Reaching the top makes all the sacrifice and discipline worth the effort. Seeking the Lord requires great effort. That is why many are content to spend their whole lives knowing about Him but never knowing Him. Priorities have to be rearranged. If God is what you are seeking it may require lack of sleep or food. It requires untold hours of solitude. It is not easy. The sacrifices are real. The reward is found in the encounters with God on His summit. They are indescribable to those who never experience the same. 

Seek Him. Search for Him early in the mornings. Search for Him diligently. Desire Him more than all else. Seek Him while there is still time. The day may come when you are not able to seek Him. Maybe your mental faculties will not allow you to seek Him. This is the day to seek Him. Do not put it off until tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come. 

Seek Him with all your intellect, all your affection, all your curiosity, all your passion and all your energy. 

Call upon the Lord while He is near. That means while He is at hand and approachable. He is ready to reveal Himself. He desires to be sought and known. He wants to be wanted. He longs to be longed for more than a thirsty person longs for a drink of water. 

He has made this searching possible through His word, His Spirit, prayer and His church. The only excuse a follower of Jesus has for not getting closer to Him is lack of effort. Many Bibles are left unopened. Many prayers go left unsaid. Many secret places of prayer are not frequented. Much private worship is not offered. Inexcusable. 

I don't care what you have to do. Go to bed earlier or later. Get up earlier. Schedule lunch alone with Jehovah. Take a prayer walk with Yahweh. Read your Bible. Meditate on Bible truth. When you gather for public worship come with the intent to seek Him and know Him. Do not settle for anything less. 

Many church people can scarcely worship because they are singing to a Master they do not know and have little desire to please or serve. Can you imagine the intense worship that takes place when people have given their best efforts in seeking God and drawing near to Him? It is intense. 

I throw no stones. I have such a long way to go in scaling this mountain of God to know Him. I am not satisfied. I want more of Him. May we all long for more of Him. Let us renew our dedication to seek Yahweh with greater relentless intensity. Even if it means our encounters with Him leave us increasingly out of step with this world and even religious people. 

God has put a great odyssey before us. To seek Him. It's a lifelong quest. The greatest adventure. A pilgrimage. Nothing can compare to seeking and experiencing more of our God. May we never stop in our pursuit to search for more of Him.