Why is it that when we find God we tend to stop searching for Him?
Do we
merely pursue Him for what we need or for what we want? Is our pursuit chiefly
seeking Him or something from Him?
What
do you expect to receive for following the Scripture, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a
rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Think
of the greatest reward that you could possibly receive from God for pursuing
Him diligently, what comes to your mind? Assurance, peace, joy, healing, hope, freedom,
salvation, wisdom, wealth, or eternal life? Are not all of these things
promised to believers? Do not all who genuinely believe in Him receive some
measure of these graces from His beneficent hand?
The
greatest reward that God can give to man is Himself. He said to Abraham, “I am
your shield, and exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1). The LORD did not tell
this to Abraham to introduce a new concept or to announce that the LORD was now
giving Himself as a reward to him. Rather, He was describing to Abraham what He
had already been to him and opening him up to a deeper revelation of their
relationship.
Abraham
saw the vanity of idolatry and by faith believed that God is, and he diligently
sought Him. He forsook his home, position, family, and the familiar to follow
the Divine Voice. The Voice called, and Abraham responded. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out
to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not
knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). He became a tent dweller
and a sojourner.
When
he left all to follow the Word, it wasn’t about what to seek as much as Who
to seek. Without hardly any explanations, certainties, or details, Abraham left
all to follow God. All Abraham received in his call was a Divine promise, “I
will show you . . . I will make you . . . I will bless you” (Genesis 12:1-3).
What
does it mean to diligently seek the LORD? Abraham waited years to be shown, to
be made and to be blessed. His diligence didn’t fizzle out through doubts,
confusion, or other possibilities, but through faith and patience, he inherited
the promises. His pilgrimage, patience and persistence were his diligence. His
diligence did not consist in mere moments of spiritual activity, but the
entirety of His life declared it.
Abraham
found the LORD but he didn’t stop searching for Him. When his cattle, posterity,
and servants were increased and promises were fulfilled; when he was “shown”, “made”,
and “blessed”, He continued to seek the LORD of heaven and earth, and again and
again the LORD was found by him. “He was called the friend of God” (James 2:23).
The
greatest reward that Abraham received in his pursuit of God was His friendship.
The Psalmist said that “The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him”
(Psalm 25:14). Secrets are only shared with intimate companions, not with acquaintances
or visitors. I know things about my wife that only I or few others will ever
know. I am in covenant with her, live with her, suffered with her, and have shared
intimate moments that could only be experienced because of the nature of our
relationship and a diligence to pursue her.
After
years of waiting, trials, and mistakes, Abraham received Isaac, the promised
seed and few years later God told Abraham to sacrifice him. Though Abraham was
God’s friend, God didn’t explain to him any reasons why but simply said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom
you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering
on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” (Genesis 22:2). Though
this contradicted everything that Abraham knew to be true about God, he knew
that God had spoken to him. Though Abraham was God’s friend, he still trembled
at His word. Abraham feared the LORD. He didn’t wait to figure anything out, he
didn’t try to wrestle any details out of God, but he “Rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and
took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood
for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told
him”
(Genesis 22:3). He didn’t know the exact mountain, but only knew it was in the
mountains and he immediately obeyed and took Isaac with him. It wasn’t until
after three days that the LORD opened his eyes to the place of sacrifice, “Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw
the place afar off” (Genesis 22:4). It is one thing to fear the LORD when He
manifests Himself to you and speaks to you personally on the same day but to
follow through in instant and complete obedience after is quite another. Abraham
had three days to hash out God’s expectations in his mind with his own
conscience, possibly examining if he heard God clearly, understood perfectly, etc.,
but His diligence led him to pursue God in full obedience even when perhaps the
initial fear was withered away by the third day. He knew that God had spoken
and He knew the God who spoke. When he saw the place to sacrifice he went with
Isaac, and “Abraham said to his young men,
"Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and
we will come back to you” (Genesis 22:5). Abraham knew what God had required and he was
willing to obey God even when what God asked didn’t make any sense, defied all
logic and contradicted everything he knew about Him. Yet, in his diligent
pursuit of God, he came to a place of resolute faith: that either God would
raise Isaac from the dead, or that he was being tested or that somehow God
would reveal something to him consistent with His character if he only obeyed,
for Abraham told his servant, “We will come back to you”. He believed God told him
to sacrifice his son but he also believed that his son would return with him.
They
arrived at the place, laid the wood in order, Abraham bound Isaac upon the
wooden altar and reached for his knife to slay his son “But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven
and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I
am." And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do
anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld
your son, your only son, from Me." Then Abraham lifted his
eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by
its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt
offering instead of his son” (Genesis 22:11-13). Do you want to have an
intimate relationship with God? Then do not be offended when He tests you. Trust
Him with all of your heart. Instantly obey Him and obey Him completely
regardless of what He asks. Friendship with the Lord is reserved with those who
fear Him. Abraham knew the LORD as Possessor of heaven and earth (Genesis
14:22), but now he knows the LORD by another name, for, “Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide;
as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be
provided” (Genesis 22:14). Abraham knew the LORD as His provider and the
LORD revealed this to Abraham because Abraham was His friend, who feared,
venerated, exalted God over everything in his life, as it is fitting and
reasonable being that God is the very One who gave him life and breath to be or
to do anything at all.
Do we
really trust the LORD with all of our hearts and lean not on our own understanding
or is this just a nice proverb we like to quote and mention from time to time? Do
we trust God when He says, “Love your enemies” “Do good to those who hate you” “Seek
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”?
Abraham’s
instant and complete obedience was an outward expression of his diligent inward
pursuit of God and God rewarded him greatly with a deeper revelation of
Himself, “The LORD my provider”. God’s revelation to Abraham was not that He
would provide him animals for sacrifices, but that God would ultimately provide
the sacrifice of Himself, and provide final and true atonement for Abraham and for
all of his seed, and we know that Abraham’s true children are those who do the
works of Abraham (John 8:39), as it is written, “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee
shall all nations be blessed” (Galatians 3:8). Interestingly,
scholars believe that Mount Moriah (where God commanded Abraham to sacrifice
Isaac) and that Golgotha, (where Jesus was crucified), are the same place. God
was revealing to His beloved friend Abraham, his Divine plan, the secret kept
hidden since the foundation of the world, of Christ Crucified, the Lamb of God
sacrificed for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2), even the LORD
Himself (Leviticus 16:9), the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in
the flesh but made alive by the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18). Even
as Isaac was spared death through the God’s provision, so Jesus was spared
through the resurrection (Romans 1:4).
If
Abraham would have stopped seeking the LORD when he found Him, then he would
have never known the LORD as Friend, Provider, and Redeemer.
Out
of a diligent pursuit of His Creator from a heart of faith, a friendship emerged
between Abraham and the Creator of all things and this is possible and available
to all who diligently seek Him in faith. For Jesus said, “You are My friends if
you do whatsoever things that I command you” (John 15:14).
You
might be tempted to doubt what you know about God through what He allows you to
go through or even by what He tells you to do but while the opportunity is available
to all, not all will be found as friends of God, for not all are truly willing
seek Him or to know Him through instant and complete obedience as did Abraham.
Consider
Moses: he encountered the I AM and the fire that burned in the bush continued
to burn inside of him and thereafter, there was absolutely nothing that God
would ask Moses to do, that Moses would not do.
The
LORD revealed Himself to Moses and Moses knew the LORD. The LORD walked with
Moses and Moses faithfully walked with the LORD, throughout Egypt and through the
wilderness, so that Moses had this testimony, “The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks
to his friend” (Exodus 33:11), and when it seemed that all had been found,
that no more diligent search could possibly be made in pursuing God, Moses cried
out moments later, “Now
therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way,
that I may know You” (Exodus 33:13). You see, the heart cry of those who truly know
God is that they may know Him more, for this is their life, their glory, and
their exceeding great reward (John 17:3, Jeremiah 9:24, Genesis 15:1). They understand
that they were not created for things but that things were created for them and
that their thirst and hunger can only be satisfied by the One who is thirsting
to be their drink and hungering to be their food. For all things were created
by God and for His pleasure they exist and were created.
True
knowledge of God produces an appetite to know Him more. The apostle Paul
testified, “But what things were gain to me, these
I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss
for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain
Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is
from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the
righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the
power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection
from the dead” (Philippians 3:7-11). Paul encountered the living and resurrected
Christ on the road to Damascus! He saw unapproachable Light, Heard the Voice of
Jesus then, and throughout his life. He learned the truth through revelation of
Jesus Christ Himself. He knew the LORD! But he found this paradox of knowing
Christ through a diligent pursuit of Him and that, although he knew Him, he
only desired to know Him more, even if it meant, stripes, imprisonment, or
death.
The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks
to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son
of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. Why
did Joshua linger inside? I have usually thought that it was because Joshua was
experiencing the secret of the LORD, His presence and power, but what if he
lingered because he was diligently seeking the LORD? Instead of standing
without along with everyone else back at the camp indulging in lawful pleasures
or even in sin, he lingered inside the tent, where He knew the LORD met with
Moses. He could have passively reclined with the others outside the tabernacle who
were perhaps more intrigued with feasting, drinking, entertainment, dancing and
whatever else they were doing; but he lingered inside, near to where he believed
God was. His diligence was evidently effectual with God. He drew near to God
and God drew near to Him. He experienced a real transformation and impartation
from God, for God said of him, "Take
Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay
your hand on him” (Numbers 27:18).
We
can read Scriptures, books, watch movies, read posts, and be involved in much
religious activity, but we have no earnest inward affection for God, to seek
Him diligently, to know Him more to be known by Him, then our activity is vain.
Do mistake seeking information for seeking Him. Those who truly and diligently
seek the LORD will follow in the steps of Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and Paul. They will seek Him.
People
search for wisdom but they do not seek Jesus, yet Jesus is the wisdom of God (1
Corinthians 1:24). They search the Scriptures looking for righteousness but they
do not behold and embrace Jesus who is the righteousness of God (Jeremiah 23:6,
1 Corinthians 1:30). They hunger for miracles and for the power of God to
manifest in their lives, homes, and meetings, but they are not hungry for Jesus
Who is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). To seek God diligently is to diligently
pursue Jesus Who is the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person
(Hebrews 1:3).
True
knowledge of God, rewarded to those who diligently pursue Him, is often a fresh
infilling of the holy Spirit, for such knowledge is breathed into and written
upon the fleshy tables of those pursuing Him. Such find themselves willing to
endure all things, hope all things, forgive all things, obey all things, for
Christ’s sake, regardless of the cost.
Jesus
said, “And this is eternal life, that they may
know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent”
(John 17:3). The unveiling of this mystery to the heart of man is a living
fountain within, springing up into eternal life and everlasting friendship.
One
night God said to King Solomon and gave him the greatest opportunity that could
be given to any man, “Ask, what shall I give to you” (2 Chronicles 1:7).
Solomon answered, “Give me now wisdom
and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can
judge this thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon,
Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of
your enemies, neither yet have asked for long life; but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge my people, over whom I
have made you king: Wisdom
and knowledge is granted to you; and I will give you riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the
kings have had that have been before you, neither shall there any after you have the like” (2 Chronicles
1:10-12). The LORD was pleased with his selfless answer and his heart was in a
good place, but not a perfect place, as was the heart of King David who said to
the LORD, “My soul follows hard after You” (Psalm 63:8) for David also said, “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that
will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my
life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple”
(Psalm 27:4).
At
the core of our being what motivates us to seek the LORD, a reward or finding
Him?
You
may ask, “Why would we search for what we already have? Why would we diligently
seek the LORD if we already have Him?” Let me ask you this, after you married
your wife did you stop pursuing her? Was your marriage an expression of wanting
her or what you wanted from her? Why do you go to church? Fellowship somewhere?
Read the Bible? Pray? Serve? Or even obey? What are you seeking? What reward
could God give to you that would please you the most? If God appeared to you
and said that He would give you one thing but you only needed to ask Him for
it, what would it be?
May
the LORD stir our hearts to love Him more and to follow hard after Him!
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“Reason dictates that persons who are truly noble and who love wisdom will honor and love only what is true. They will refuse to follow traditional viewpoints if those viewpoints are worthless...Instead, a person who genuinely loves truth must choose to do and speak what is true, even if he is threatened with death...I have not come to flatter you by this written petition, nor to impress you by my words. I have come to simply beg that you do not pass judgment until you have made an accurate and thorough investigation. Your investigation must be free of prejudice, hearsay, and any desire to please the superstitious crowds. As for us, we are convinced that you can inflict no lasting evil on us. We can only do it to ourselves by proving to be wicked people. You can kill us—but you cannot harm us.” From Justin Martyr's first apology 150 A.D. Martyred A.D. 160