God has created human beings with the innate capacity to seek and communicate with their unseen Creator, who presents Himself not only as Creator, Lord, and King but also as Father and Friend.
Prophecies like Isaiah chapter 5 show His grief and anger over the people He loves seeking fulfillment in things like wealth and entertainment, instead of fellowship with Him. Such diversions lead to unfulfilled hunger and thirst (vs. 13) and ultimately to bondage (vs. 13) and desolation (vs.17b).
Jesus died, not only to save from eternal desolation and exile those who repent of their sinful nature and surrender their lives to Him but even more so to restore the bond with God for which we were created.
For that, we must lead the life of a seeker. Hebrews 11:6 promised that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Some translations leave out the word “diligently” or “earnestly,” but the Greek word ekzeteo means exactly that – not just look here and there when the need arises or convenience allows you, but to put a wholehearted effort into seeking Him each and every day before we seek anything else. The verb form used there means to seek Him ongoingly, without interruption.
That jives with how Jesus explained the Kingdom of God, by which He means the fullness of God’s presence in our hearts with His will and purposes rather than real estate. He uses the word pictures of a priceless pearl (Matthew 13:45-46), and treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:44), and warns that no one can come after Him unless he takes up his cross and denies himself (Luke 9:23).
All that amounts to being seekers. All-day and every day. To deliberately choose not to try and satisfy ourselves with the pleasures our sinful nature craves to feed its pride and need to be our own god, but to seek the delight of God’s presence. Being seekers is returning to the original purpose for which we were created – intimacy with God.
The fight against distractions from desires within and temptations without is hard. That is where diligence and sacrifice come in. But the reward is worth it! The treasure we receive is not just salvation from the coming wrath and God’s actions on our behalf in answer to our prayers, but God Himself – His presence, His love, His companionship, His wisdom, His truth, His light, His power, and the beauty and perfection of His glory.
Whether we find ourselves in plenty or want, whether we suffer or sail through calm waters – the presence of God is His ultimate gift. He strengthens and comforts us in our suffering and gives purpose and meaning in the calm. He fills us with joy and peace that nothing and no one can break. He provides truth, light, insight, and wisdom we can’t get anywhere else. He makes us fountains of blessings for others in ways we could never be. He changes us from the inside out to will and act according to His pleasure.
But we have to seek Him. Jesus taught that if you really want to pray and commune with God you have to go to the secret place (Matthew 6:6). You seek Him in secret, away from public displays of spirituality, and He will reward you in secret. Because He knows that if you make the effort to go into the secret place, your desire for Him is genuine. You show by your actions that you thirst for Him, and He responds to thirsty hearts. When we seek Him, He changes our appetites, unlocks our innate capacity to find satisfaction in Him alone and to see the emptiness of everything else.
So don’t wait for some crisis to come along to remind you that you need to seek God. Get up every morning, sit on the edge of the bed and let the first words out of your mouth be: “Father, thank you for a new day, and that your mercies are new every morning. Today I will seek you.”
Then let the first resolute decision of your day be to order your activities around seeking Him diligently. The reward of experiencing the fulness of your presence will be great. If you choose to not seek Him, you will miss out on priceless riches, and have taken a step toward spiritual desolation.
That would be dumb. Very, very dumb. Especially when you know that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.