4 Crucial Things to Hold Onto if You are Seeking the Lord

Although it may seem perplexing, there are plenty of people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, but the Bible is clear that not all Christians bother with seeking the Lord, or progressing in their faith, or allowing the Lord to sanctify them. In fact, many say they know Christ, but don’t really want any more of Him than they already have and don’t bother truly following after Him. (Matthew 6:5) Why is that?

The cost of truly following Jesus Christ is high and the reason why some Christians don’t want more of God because it costs more to have more. Many people say they want more of God, but looking at God is not the same thing as seeking the Lord, searching and finding out His plan, His will and His way. As a result, many will never use what they’ve been given for God’s glory or to increase His Kingdom because what they saw of the Lord didn’t truly transform them.

Seeking the Lord Requires You to Look Away from the World

The Kingdom of God advances through His people and those who are earnestly seeking the Lord are open to how He wants their lives to play out, have asked Him for more and have been given more. Those same people also carry a greater burden of responsibility to use what God gave them for His glory. Sadly, not everyone asks for more of God. Not everyone desires more of Him. God knows those who seek Him and He knows who the spectators are.

When it comes to “more” in Christ, the secret is this: there isn’t more! Everything He has and all that He is has been made freely available to His people. Wanting “more of God” really means giving Him more of you– more of your private prayer time, more of your praise and worship, more time spent with Him in His Word. If you are truly seeking the Lord, you WILL find Him, as He promised. You’ll find the plan. You’ll find the purpose. You’ll find the peace, the strength, the joy, the spiritual connection, the healing- you’ll even find yourself.

Here are some things you can hold onto if you are truly seeking the Lord for anything in your life:

1. GOD IS EASILY FOUND

Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You shall seek Me and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart.” If you are seeking the Lord to find Him and to find out more about who He and to find the way He has planned for your situation versus looking just to “see” what He will do for you, that is when you will find the Lord. God is always most easily found in His Word, which is an anchor for your soul when you are struggling and drifting in your faith.

2. GOD IS SEEKING TOO

(See Psalm 14:2) John 4:23-24 (MEV) says, “Yet the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. For the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.” God is seeking you. How can He not find you? He can, of course. But He is seeking those who worship Him, which makes a personal commitment to private praise and worship a necessary and powerful aspect of seeking the Lord. He dwells in your praise. (Psalm 22:3, MEV)

3. GOD IS NOT HIDING

Isaiah 55:6 says “Seek the Lord while He may be found”, but it is more accurately translated to say: “Seek the Lord with the intention that you will find Him.” When Jesus said “ask, seek and knock” in Matthew 7:7-8, the actual usage of those words implies a continuous nature: Ask, keep on asking! Seek, keep on seeking! Knock, keep on knocking! 

Remember, praise and worship are spiritual warfare and there may be spiritual resistance coming against you. (See Daniel 10:12-14) Worship like you’ve already gotten your answer, because according to the Word of God sent to Daniel, “…from the first day that you set your heart to understand this and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard…” (Daniel 10:12)

4. DON’T SEEK ANSWERS, SEEK THE GOD WHO HAS THE ANSWERS

Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praise of His people, which means that the Lord moves His Holy Spirit’s presence into the midst of the place where His worship is taking place. When you worship, you minister unto Him from your heart of thanksgiving- that is the only purpose of worship. Everyday, you must renew your covenant with God through worship. It’s true that He also ministers to His people in worship, but God’s ministry to His people is not the purpose of worship.

This is why many people struggle to sense God in worship- they are seeking the wrong things! Ministry unto the Lord is the sole, exclusive purpose of worship. God will pour out from His presence as we worship because He is faithful, but your only responsibility, especially when you need Him the most, is to minister unto Him- not seek ministry from Him. Seek His face, not His hand and you will find things you weren’t even looking for!

When You are Seeking the Lord, Worship Will Help You Find Him

In the Scriptures, to “look” is a passive act of observation, taking in what there is for the eyes to see. (Look at Psalm 33:13) To “seek” is to physically pursue something you do not have, until you have it in your grasp. Psalm 105:4 says, “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continuously.” Looking is a natural act of the flesh, seeking the Lord is a spiritual act and the end result of seeking is finding. If you want more of God, stop looking and seek Him according to His Word.

Worship is a critical component in answered prayer because worship is thanksgiving- a faith action that proves true the things you cannot yet see in the natural.

~Alicia Purdy

In Daniel 9, Daniel sought the Lord for an important answer, even fasting and praying over it. He also worshipped. Worship is a critical component in answered prayer because worship is thanksgiving- a faith action that proves true the things you cannot yet see in the natural.

Daniel’s worship in Daniel 9:4 was known as “yadah“ praise, which is one of the 7 Hebrew words for “praise” that is defined as the action of raising your hands while making a confession of who God is. Daniel kept praying and worshipping and he did not stop until his answer came. “While I was speaking and praying and confessing…” Daniel wrote, an angel appeared who held the answer Daniel had been seeking.

Thought for today: Seeking the Lord is Spiritual, not Situational

Are you one of those seasons? Those “ask, seek and knock” seasons- where you are on your face seeking the Lord day and night, crying out, waiting- but no answer seems to come? What do you do next? Do you stop? Do you figure you’re just praying a prayer that God has given the answer “no”? Do you start to wonder if God still hears and answers prayer at all?

Don’t give up! It is true that sometimes you may “ask amiss” as James said, (James 4:3) and sometimes the answer you receive is “no” or “not yet“, but the closer you draw to the Lord, the better you will be able to discern those aspects of your situation as the Lord provides insight and wisdom and direction. Isaiah 30:20-21 (MEV) says, “…He, your Teacher, will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left.”

And don’t forget to always take authority in the name of Jesus Christ over the enemy and if there is demonic resistance, ask Him for an “IT IS WRITTEN!” from His Word that you can stand upon as you’re seeking the Lord. Now, keep on asking, seeking and knocking. Many come before God not truly seeking Him, but looking to see what He will do for them, instead of grabbing onto who He is. The difference in how life moves forward in faith is enormous! Don’t give up- your answer is ready and God will get you to it!

Don’t forget to pick up a copy of The Way of the Worshipper on Amazon – and AVAILABLE NOW you can also purchase The Way of the Worshipper: A Devotional Workbook for deeper study, personal examination and spiritual growth!