Whether Our Best Days—OR—On Our Worst Days: SEEK GOD!
When the phone lit up with the arrival of her text, I hesitated. My inner being screamed: ‘Look,’ but just as adamantly, my inner-pride yelled: ‘She can wait; why give her the satisfaction she so readily does not give you?’
Earthly relationships can be so difficult, and when compounded by geography, the struggles can feel insurmountable. Maybe that’s when we are most convicted by the Holy Spirit of God—when we are away from God,
living in our “pride,” but TRULY NOT living our ‘best’ life.
That’s when we find our hearts unwilling to listen for His voice.
God gave the prophet Isaiah these words:
“Your ears will hear a word behind you,
(Isaiah 30: 21 NASB)
“This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you
turn to the right or to the left.”
- IT IS 100% TRUTH: We follow God BEST when we are listening and heeding the leading of His Holy Spirit to direct our steps.
Exercise is such a difficult necessary commodity that we so vitally need if our earthly bodies are going to perform as we need them to work for us. In a similar way, our relationship with our Father in Heaven becomes so much sweeter whenever we allow our unruly selves to be led only by Him.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
(Psalm 139: 23-24 NASB)
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.”
- IT IS 100% TRUTH: We can ONLY follow God BEST when we strive to keep our spiritual shape.
Picking up God’s Holy Word is such an important, daily decision. Depriving ourselves of the LORD’S teaching deprives us of the ability to spiritually SEE the way in which we should walk. Nestled within the CENTERMOST of His Holy Scriptures, we find this important nugget of TRUTH.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet
(Psalm 119: 105 NASB)
And a light to my path.”
- IT IS 100% TRUTH: God will direct every step we take, every word we speak, & every action we make—If we seek HIM—whether we are walking through our BEST DAY or through our WORST DAY!
How does God respond to His children when they pray?
- Does the Son of God quickly intercede as He promised, or does He tell God to ignore our prayers?
- Whenever we bow our hearts to seek the Lord, does God’s Holy Spirit turn away from us or comfort us as He has promised us He would?
The Holy Spirit led the apostle Mark to share with us the words of Jesus Christ, the Savior and Messiah.
“And Jesus answered saying to them,
(The Gospel According to Mark 11: 22-26 NASB)
‘Have faith in God.
Truly I say to you, whoever says to this
mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’
and does not doubt in his heart, but believes
that what he says is going to happen, it will
be granted him.
Therefore, I say to you, all things for
which you pray and ask, believe that you
have received them, and they will be granted you.
Whenever you stand praying, forgive,
if you have anything against anyone, so that
your Father who is heaven will also
forgive you your transgressions.
[But if you do not forgive, neither will
Your Father who is in heaven forgive
your transgressions.’]”
- We must intentionally & consistently seek God.
- We must be found daily within His Word, searching HIS TRUTH.
- We must remember God is ALWAYS available.
- We must NEVER FORGET: God’s presence surrounds those who believe, who have accepted His Son, and who have confessed their sins. God ALWAYS remains readily available to hear our pleas because—when we belong to God & when we gave our hearts to Jesus & when at that very moment God became our Heavenly Father—HE PROMISES HIS ETERNAL PRESENCE & HE SEALED IT, HE PLEDGED IT, & HE DEMONSTRATED IT—WHEN GOD HIMSELF PLACED HIS HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN US AT THE MOMENT OF OUR SALVATION!
- The psalmist David was a son, so he understood the importance of listening whenever Jesse, his dad, spoke to him.
- The psalmist David was a shepherd, so he understood the impact the Good Shepherd demonstrated as God led him to safety, protection, and even toward conviction.
- The psalmist David fought a giant named Goliath, and with God’s aid, the giant was defeated.
- The psalmist David was anointed king of Israel, so he fully understood what it meant to bow down in subjection before the KING of all kings. BUT—
- Most importantly, the psalmist David was a sin-filled human being, just like you and me, so he knew the conviction of the Holy Spirit of God whenever he turned away from God’s heeding and followed the pleasures of his own desires.
Whether Our Best Days—OR—On Our Worst Days: SEEK GOD!
There is a melody sung by Matthew West, one that speaks to me today. Please listen:
“Truth Be Told.”
In closing, it is only fitting that we read the Word of God given to the psalmist David.
Please read with me.
“O God, You are my God;
(Psalm 63 NASB)
I shall seek You earnestly’
My soul thirsts for You,
my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth offers praises joyful lips.
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches,
For You have been my help,
And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.
But those who seek my life to destroy it,
Will go into the depths of the earth.
They will be delivered over to the power of the sword;
They will be a prey for foxes.
But the King will rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him will glory,
For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.”