Seeking God

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart”

Jeremiah 29:13 ESV

13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

A. THE ATTITUDE

“And ye shall seek me.”

1. Sincere Seeking

Isaiah 55:6 ESV

6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

Seek God when you feel Him speaking to you. He honors sincere seekers. God often moves us to pray, but if we keep putting it off, our hearts become hardened toward Him.

2. Sanctified Seeking

Hosea 10:12 NIV

12 Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.

12 I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love.

Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come

and shower righteousness upon you.’

Note the progression:

(a) sow in righteousness, / Plant the good seeds

(b) reap in mercy, / harvest a crop of love.

(c) break up fallow (hard) ground, / Plow up the hard ground

(d) seek the Lord, / time to seek the Lord

(e) righteousness will rain upon you. / shower righteousness upon you.

3. Surrendered seeking

Matthew 6:33 ESV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Seek first the kingdom of God. We must not follow our selfish ambitions, but God’s plan and purpose for our lives.

B. THE ANSWER

“And [ye shall] find me.”

1. Promise

Jeremiah 33:3 ESV

3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

God longs to do great things through us, if we only ask Him. He will do more than we ask!

2. Prayer

Matthew 7:7–9 ESV

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

Note the persistence needed in prayer:

(a) asking

(b) seeking

(c) knocking

A right heart that persists in prayer will get a response from God

James 5:16 ESV

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

3. Purity.

a) Confession

“Confess your faults one to another.”

James 5:16 ESV

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

b) Cleansing

Psalm 139:23–24 ESV

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Confession brings cleansing.

4. Person

James 5:16 ESV

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Not any man, but a righteous man.

5. Power

James 5:17 ESV

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

Elijah was a man just like we are; yet God sent His power in answer to Elijah’s prayer. Note that “he prayed again.” He did not give up. We must not give up. We must keep praying. God will answer!

C. THE ATTENTION

“When ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

1. Definite praying

Psalm 55:17 ESV

17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.

Have a definite time each day to pray. Just as you eat at regular times, have special, regular times to pray.

2. Detained praying

Isaiah 40:31 ESV

31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Wait on the Lord; allow God to speak to you.

3. Determined praying

Genesis 32:26 ESV

26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Note that Jacob said “I will not let go.” Are we able to pray those words?

4. Dedicated praying

Daniel 6:10 ESV

10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

Daniel prayed and gave thanks even when he knew it was dangerous to do so. Prayer does not only consist of asking … it is thanking and praising!