April 18 – Reading 108

APRIL 18 – Reading 108

by John Christian Pra | April 18

“THE BLESSING OF SEEKING”
(1 Chronicles 16:4-43; Psalms 96:1-13; 29:1-11)

“Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!– 1 Chronicles 16:10-11

Seeking God leads to a life of blessing. King David believed this reality so deeply that he appointed hundreds of worship leaders to continuously seek the Lord each hour of the day. It was his core conviction that seeking God would lead to their prosperity. 

What we seek determines what our lives will look like. All of us seek something, the question is, “what are you seeking?” Do you seek success? Fame and notoriety? Pleasure and desire? Maybe you seek comfort and peace. The center of your seeking will determine the blessing of your life. David is clear: seeking God is the life that leads to rejoicing. 

The opposite is also true. If we spend our lives seeking other things, our life will be miserable. In Psalm 16:4, David pens this reality: “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply.” 

For the people of Israel, they lost their culture of seeking the Lord. Instead, they turned to seeking other gods, the power of their armies, and fame of their conquests. Eventually, this seeking turned into sorrow as they forfeited their inheritance in the Lord and ended up dealing with national turmoil. 

However, David brought them back to their roots. He declared that seeking the Lord would be the foundation of their kingdom and the focus of his kingship. The good news is that seeking Jesus leads to finding Him. If you put yourself to seek after God, he will draw near to you (James 4:8). Will you take Him up on this promise and receive the blessing of seeking God?

Reflections:

• What are the main things you seek after in life? To assess, what do you think about most, what do you desire most, what do you believe you live for?
• How does seeking the Lord lead to rejoicing?

Application: 

• Take 15 minutes today to seek after the Lord and draw near to Him. Do not ask for things in your life, but pursue His Presence alone. 
• Create times and spaces throughout your day to turn back to the Lord and create a culture of worship everywhere you go (home, work, school, etc.)
• Find areas in your life that you are currently leaving God out of. Invite Him into those places.

Closing Prayer…
Father, I come to you today with praise and thanksgiving in my heart! There is none like you and you are worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. I ask Jesus that you would increase the desire in my heart to seek you continually. I ask that you would forgive me of my coldness of heart and the fact that I often choose lesser things to you. Open my eyes to see your beauty and to worship you in all places and circumstances. Thank you for bringing me to yourself and giving me a desire to seek you! Amen.