The Daily Task of a Christian: Seek the Lord
April 28, 2016 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
In a slew of eleven commands that begin Psalm 105, the command “seek” is given twice in verse 4.
- Seek the Lord and his strength;
- seek his presence continually!
In classic Hebrew poetic form, the commands are parallel with one another. To seek the Lord is to seek his presence. To seek his presence continually is to seek his strength.
In the New Testament we are commanded to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33) and “seek, and you will find” (Matt. 7:7). Even the nature of saving faith is associated with seeking God: “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb. 11:6).
Do we actively think about seeking the Lord?
Consider your daily habits for maintaining your spiritual well-being (I hope you have some sort of habits). I imagine there is some sort of effort to read Scripture and pray each day. Perhaps you avail yourself of Christian resources (books, devotionals, blog posts, sermon audios, worship music, etc.) to supplement your meditation on God’s word. How does “seeking the Lord” fit with these habits? Is it a distinct activity? Or does it involve these other habits?
I think Psalm 105 helps us understanding the nature of the command to seek the Lord. In the following verse we are commanded to “remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered” (105:5). The rest of the Psalm is a retelling of God’s “works, miracles, and judgments” from the Exodus story.
The command to seek the Lord is grounded in remembering all that he has done for us. The walk down memory lane in Psalm 105 aims to commend God in all his power and goodness to a new generation of people. We seek that which we esteem to be good.
The other insight from Psalm 105 involves the other commands in verses 1-3. We are commanded to “give thanks,” “make know his deeds,” “sing praises to him,” “glory in his holy name,” and “let [our] hearts rejoice.”
The command to seek the Lord is energized by delighting in the Lord. The psalmist recounts the “works, miracles, and judgments” of the Lord not only to teach and remind but also to arouse the spiritual affections of celebrating God. We seek that when we enjoy. We enjoy that which we esteem to be good.
So seeking the Lord involves remembering his goodness and enjoying him. All of our daily habits for our spiritual well-being ought to serve this very purpose. For when we seek the Lord and his strength and his presence, we find him and his strength and his presence!
May your days be marked by seeking the Lord. And may you be blessed in your pursuit.
