To seek God first we must first understand what it means to seek God.
Why would we need to seek God?
Is God hidden from us? God is omnipresent. His presence is everywhere at the same time. In that sense, he is not hidden. He is always present. What we need to seek is His manifested presence, his glory. His glory is hidden from our naked eyes. Our minds, however, should be set towards God because we need his presence in all areas of our lives. He will reveal himself to us when we seek him. We can see Him through His creation and His word. We should always be seeking God’s face (Psalm 105:4; 1 Chronicles 16:11). “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way”. Psalm 119:36-37
“Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God;” 1 Chronicles 22:19a There will come a time when we will no longer be able to seek the face of God. A time will come when he will not be found. Isaiah said, “Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near”, Isaiah 55 verse 6. Now is the time to seek God. Solomon was advised he would find God if He seeks him (1 Chronicles 28:9). We will too when we sincerely seek God. He is the same God today he was then. He rewards those who sincerely seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Creation is full of God’s glory. We can seek and find him in his creation. “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”. Romans 1:19-20 His word is our guide for life and to know him. We can seek Him through his word. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works”. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. John 1:1 I love the way David expressed when he would seek God in Psalm 63. Psalm 63 is one of my favorite Psalms. David said, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is”, Psalm 63 verse 1. To seek God first, for any cause or reason, seeking God must be a priority. Like David, we should prioritize seeking him early. It should be at the forefront of our minds, one of the first things we do. Our soul must recognize its need for the presence of God. We must also understand why we are seeking God, our purpose or reason for seeking him.
Are you seeking his presence?
Are you seeking his will?
Are you looking for mercy?
Do you have a petition or simply want things from him?
We should have a thirst and hunger to seek God, to know him. We must seek His presence to see his power and glory manifested in our lives. God shouldn’t be an afterthought. It’s important to meditate on His word to keep our minds set on him. When our hearts and minds are set on anything we become determined.
“When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, thy face, Lord, will I seek”. Psalm 27:8
David was under a lot of pressure and faced many troubles, yet his priority was seeking God’s presence, praising him, and fellowshipping with God. His heart was set on seeking God. Seeking God first was his most important priority. When we think of seeking God first along the lines of I’m in need, I have plans, I have unanswered questions, I have a request, I need guidance etc., so I must seek him first before I do anything else, we missed the primary purpose of God telling us to seek him. Although He desires for us to do all of the above, we must recognize that His presence is more than enough.
We ought to inquire of God when we need counsel or guidance. Our plans should be submitted to him. We do need him to order or steps. However, His presence is the ultimate reward. It is better than life, our goal(s) for the day, and the things we want. He will supply all our needs. God is looking for us to delight in him. He wants to reveal himself to us. Because he wants to show us his glory he invites us to seek him. That alone is why we should seek God first.
A special thanks to Tara Adams of Encouraged to Encourage for this phenomenal teaching on seeking God!
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Your first step to living a victorious life is learning to seek God first in all that you do! For more on seeking God and living a life of victory follow Victory Speaks here or subscribe below!