Do you have an obsession? I want to, and I want the same one for you, too.
Welcome to 13Prayers. Today we are examining Prayer 8. You can check out Prayers 1-7 below:
- To know Jesus is the only bridge to God.
- That you would grow your relationship with Him.
- To know your place in God’s heart.
- That you would crave time in the Word more than anything.
- To become still and quiet before God – your Strong Tower.
- To learn to recognize God’s voice.
- That you would memorize Scripture to light your way.
Today’s prayer:
8. To seek God daily.
Why it matters:
My obsession history
I was thinking back. At one point (somewhere in a different century) I was a teenager who was probably obsessed with…somebody. Probably. But I’d be hard-pressed to tell you who. That obsession just didn’t last. Last fall I discovered Downton Abbey, and I was a bit anxious when I had to leave my binge watching and go do real-life things. But the series ended, and life moved on. (Don’t judge me for coming late to the Downton Abbey party.)
But one part of my life that has been there since my teen years is the drive to seek out God, and, of course, that’s so much more important than any heartthrob or TV series.
Obsession to be returned to God
In Deut. 4:29, God’s people had been scattered and were told, “But if from there you seek the LORD you God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” This isn’t a casual search. It is with all heart and soul. Dig deep, and you will find God. (What a promise!)
Obsession for refreshing
It gets hot in my little corner of the world. (Not usually in January, but in the summer.) You can see an art project I did that involved the temperature here. In the heat of summer – or of trials and stress – there is nothing more refreshing than cool water. Ps. 63:1 tells us God fills that need within us if we will seek Him. “O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek God; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Let your obsession refresh you!
Seek for Rewards
If you can legitimately seek God – just because He is God, He promises that your efforts will benefit you. See Heb. 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly see Him.” But be sincere. God knows. “…acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”1 Chron. 28:9
God seeks our obsession: I love Ps 14:2 for reminding me that God is watching how we spend our time. He is searching the planet for those who will SEEK him. “The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” The best part of this is that the search is not single-sided. God is looking for us! We are His obsession!! And He promised we will find Him. And this promise is repeated throughout Scripture.
So what does that look like?
Seeking God looks like all the things on my prayer list for you. Pray and listen for God, spend time in Scripture and memorize it. Know how special you are to Him, obey Him, and ask forgiveness when you fall short. And seek Him out daily – not just in the hard times.
Yes, it takes work to kindle an obsession, but the benefits are amazing!
Precious Father, fuel our obsession. Overpower my heart with the desire to spend our days with You. Draw us close, and search our hearts. Thank You for wanting this relationship with us.
Thanks for dropping by today. Check out the other prayers here. And connect with me on social media as @13prayers.
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