SEEKING GOD EARNESTLY

Bible Verse:
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 (NIV)

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 63:7 (NIV)

Devotional:
As usual, life in Dallas runs at a drop-dead pace, constantly looking to squeeze more into each day in a land filled with eye candy that tells us what more we need to have, to do, or to be. I’m certainly not immune. It is easy for me to identify my dry and weary land that is filled with obligations, a job with more “to do’s” than can actually fit on my schedule. Everything is ‘priority’, taking care of all of that and myself too. It is the “I have to take care of it all” that makes me weary. What do I long for? Respite with my Lord where He is my refuge and my refreshment, so I start my day with Him. During the day I close my eyes, take a breath, and realize He is already there, filling my mind with a praise song, reminding me that as He promised, He is already there.

As a child I attended a thriving church that believed in training up its children. I am grateful for that. My longing for Him began there. As an adult I want to attend a church whose people earnestly seek Him. Children see that and can experience that for themselves. So in my time with Him I ask, “What is it You would have me do?”

Prayer:
Ask God to show you what it means to seek Him earnestly. Be grateful for those church fathers and saints that have brought us this far. Ask God what it is He would have you do. Pray that He will put those words in your heart and mind. Take time to sit in silence to listen for His answer.

Written by Deborah Herring. Deborah has attended Northwest for 21 years.