Seek First

In the middle of chaos, in the depths of heartbreak, and in the darkness of anxiety, we find an anchor in the Word of God. When I focus on His Word, His promises, His reality vs. my earthly circumstances, my heart beats in unison with His plan for me (and His plans for me are good, to give me a future and a hope Jer. 29:11). He promises that when we seek Him we shall surely find Him (Luke 11:10, Jer. 29:13). And when we find Him we find peace, joy, grace, mercy, kindness, goodness, and much more. 

As I studied Matthew 6:33 this week as part of our Online Bible Study, God continued to remind me that everything I need is found in Him.


"But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." KJV

"But seek for (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom, and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right], and then all these things taken together will be given you besides." AMP

"Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions...." The Message

"Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what He requires of you, and He will provide you with all the other things." GNB

We are commanded to let go of worldly cares and receive His divine care and provision. And to do this, we are told to seek Him first.

Let's get a deeper understanding of these two words by looking at some synonyms.

SEEK - try to find, search for, track down, dig for, probe for, investigate, explore, examine, inspect

When we consider these similar words we find that seeking involves more than just a few minutes of our time. In order to have a thorough investigation or examination we must invest one of our most precious commodities.

Seeking demands time spent.

And when we spend time with Jesus, we begin to know Him.

Seeking produces intimacy.

An intimate knowing. A discovering. A deeply personal union.

Not only are we to seek Him, but we are to seek Him first.

FIRST - foremost, leading, principal, main, prime, head, highest; basic fundamental, primary, beginning, starting point

God has to be our starting point.

When He becomes our beginning, our primary focus, the starting point of anything that we do or ask or seek, a shift occurs.

Seeking causes a shift:

• from carnal to spiritual
• from natural to supernatural
• from earthly to heavenly
• from temporal to eternal

When we seek first Him, His Kingdom, His righteousness...everything we have need of is counted as ours.

Maybe life has overwhelmed you this week or even this day. I, too, found myself overwhelmed and anxious over some things the last couple of days. But when I began seeking Him and bathing my mind, my heart, and my spirit in His Word, a shift occurred. Although my circumstances remained the same, my thoughts changed and I found peace and grace in the middle of my messy places. 

You can find it to.

Seek.

First.

There is nothing like His presence.  Make the choice to spend some moments alone with Him now. Your Father is waiting.

(Synonyms taken from Roget's Thesaurus 3rd Edition 1998)

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Joining with Melissa Taylor and a community of women as we seek God and His Word together in our current Online Bible Study: Stressed-Less Living by Tracie Miles. Click here to read more blogs in our blog hop.

Never Alone

Lay it down. 

Release it all to me. 

Step away and step into my presence.

A time of separation and a time of connection. 

A time of tearing down and a time of building.

These were some of the things God spoke to me years ago when He asked me to walk away from a large part of what had become my identity and comfortable place.

Sometimes He asks us to do hard things. And we don't always understand the purpose in His asking or how what He's asked us to do could be for our good. It doesn't always make sense in the moment.

But trusting Him requires surrendering our will for His. Trusting Him requires believing He is working for our good. Trusting Him requires sitting on the Potter's wheel as we take take shape in the palm of His hands. It sometimes means letting our plans and dreams die. And it takes faith.

"My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Ex. 33:14

No matter where He asks us to go, He goes with us. 

On page 97 of our current study (Stressed-Less Living by Tracie Miles with MTOBS), Tracie unknowingly pens a part of my story:

"As we make our faith a priority and learn to trust in God's plans even if we do not understand them or like them, the doors will be flung wide open for God to enter our lives and begin His mighty work. During the wait we are called to fall on our knees just like Hannah and pour out our hearts to Him. We are each called to live life in a state of dependency on Him..."

In Exodus 33:14-18 Moses pleads with God for His accompanying presence and asks to be shown His glory. His dependency is on God and He knows that without Him, He might as well stay home.

At the end of His response to Moses's requests, the Lord agrees to send His presence and to show His glory. Then He says, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock."

There is a place near Him for each of us. In our surrendering to His will and in the realization that we can't do what He's called us to do without His presence and His glory we assume our proper spiritual position. It is here, in this place, that we are more near God than anywhere else.

In verse 21, the word place in Hebrew is MAQOWN, which means: standing place, post, station, city, land, region, place of human abode, etc. MAQOWN originated from the Hebrew word QUWN, which means: to arise, become powerful, to be established, to be fixed, to be valid, to be proven, to be fulfilled, to persist, etc.

When we are in that place near Him, His plans and purposes for our lives begin to take shape. His plans are established. His purposes are fulfilled. And His power can be displayed through our lives.

Also in verse 21 is the word stand. The Hebrew word is NATSAB, which means: to stand, take one's stand, stand upright, be set (over), establish, be stationed, be appointed.

This word is a verb, which conveys an action or a state of being. In that place, we will stand (we must take action, DO something, and BE that which God has called us to be). It is a place of appointment with and by the King of Kings.

The Lord is calling us to Himself. As He does so, He will require things of us that are hard, scary, impossible, and beyond our human abilities. But when we wholly surrender and position ourselves in that place near Him, His presence and His glory will not only sustain us but go with us and enable us to do that which He has planned for us to do.

We are never alone in His presence. And when we don't understand why He's asking or requiring certain things of us, we can rest assured that His plans are so much greater than ours.

Today, He has called you, anointed you, equipped you, and appointed you. 

I believe that place has been created by God and is reserved for each of us. In it is found our destiny and our purpose. There, His grace is abundant to do that which He has ordained us to do. There, His goodness is undeniable. There, His glory is all consuming. It is there, in His presence, in that place that we are so near Him, that we are changed, made whole, healed, and set free! It is there, that we are able to give out what He has placed within us. 

If His presence does not go with me, I do not want to go. 

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Joining with Melissa Taylor and a community of women as we seek God and His word in our current Online Bible Study: Stressed - Less Living by Tracie Miles

(Part of this post is taken from a previous post of mine, A Place Near Him)

It is Good to Draw Near

For some time now I have felt God's invitation to come closer...an invitation to know Him more...to fellowship and worship all throughout the day. At times I have to just stop and kneel beside my bed, even if only for a few minutes. And some nights, like tonight, sleep is no rival for time in His presence. My body is tired but my spirit is doing cartwheels.

This morning our Pastor finished up his most recent series with a message titled Seeking God's Face in Prayer and Worship. He spoke about how the church as a whole has become quite efficient in seeking the hands of God when in need or want of something, but are neglecting the Giver Himself.

God is urging us to get to know Him. He desires that we wade out a little deeper.

James 4:8 assures us that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.

In Matthew 7:7, Jesus promises that if we seek, we will find and if we knock, it will be opened to us.

Again Jesus speaks in John 7:37 and invites those who are thirsty to come to Him and drink.

The psalmist in Psalm 73:28 proclaims that it is good to draw near to God.

To be near our Savior. To sit at the feet of Jesus. To rest in the lap of our God. To bask in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

No petitions.

No requests.

No pleas.

Just be near Him.

(A very abbreviated summary of my notes):

I. We must first seek God's face in prayer.

• Relationship is dependent on fellowship. Jesus' relationship to His heavenly Father was directly related to his prayer life.

• The disciples knew that prayer was key. In Luke 11:1, they did not ask Jesus to show them how to heal or how to do miracles or how to teach but how to pray. "...Lord, teach us to pray..."

II. We must seek God's face in worship.

• As Esther prepared for her time with the King (Esther 2:12), she used oils and perfumes not of her own preference, but those that were pleasing to him. We, too, must prepare and worship in ways that are pleasing to the King, however we feel the Holy Spirit leading. It is not about our preference, but His.

• In Matthew 26:8, Mary brings an alabaster flask of very expensive oil and pours it on Jesus as He sits at the table. Pastor James painted a picture of Mary breaking open the flask and emptying the entire bottle without hesitation. She was extravagant in her worship no matter the cost. Today, the majority of the church measures out a little here a little there, deciding how much we give God in worship. He wants us to come in our brokenness (break open the flask) and pour out everything we have on Him, no matter the cost.

It is good for me to draw near to God...Ps. 73:28

More posts on drawing near to God:
i am His
An Invitation, A Call to Intimacy
Unworthy but Invited to Come
My Soul Longs For You
Complete in His Presence

Today I am linking with Jen at Finding Heaven, Michelle at Nebraska Graceful and counting my gifts with Ann.

#66-75 of graces embraced and gifts undeserved but given anyway

66 lifting holy hands
67 knees bent
68 arms open
69 the weight of His glory
70 spiritual cartwheels
71 an invitation to come closer
72 the sound of sleeping beauties
73 staying up late and sleeping in on holidays
74 corporately reading through Matthew 1-4 on a Friday night in a little church in the middle of nowhere
75 overwhelmed in His presence and tears that flow freely

Hear it On Sunday, Use it On Monday: God's Holy Pursuit

I'm not sure if my Pastor ever reads my blog, but I am certain he stole my private notes for his sermon this morning. 

Either that, or we are listening to the same voice.

Remember my Hebrew study of Genesis 1:1-2 for a section in one of the chapters of the book I'm writing?

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2

Before man was even created, the Spirit of God was hovering (brooding, fluttering) over the very thought of Adam and Eve.  He was in pursuit of man before man was even here.

In Deuteronomy 32:11, the same word is used by Moses to compare God's hovering over the children of Israel in the wilderness to an eagle hovering over its young. The side notes in my Bible call it a divine overshadowing.

As my Pastor spoke during the morning service, this word was confirmed in my spirit. God- the creator of the universe- is in continual pursuit of His children... of me, of you. He is not only watching over us, He is watching for us. Watching and waiting in anticipation for us to accept His invitation, reciprocate His love, and pursue Him Who is pursuing us.

In Genesis 3:8-9 the Spirit of God again pursues Adam and Eve for an evening stroll in the garden. Ready for a time of fellowship, an intimate conversation, a strengthening of their personal relationship, He enters the garden and searches for His children.

"Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?'" ~Genesis 3:9

Instead of meeting God as they had before, Adam and Eve were separated from His presence. A breach in their relationship occurred because sin had entered their lives.

How many times has God had to call out to us?

He desires to manifest His presence in our lives continuously, not just a moment here and a moment there. He wants to take up residence in our lives. In order to experience the continual manifest presence of God revealed in the Holy Spirit in our lives, we must reciprocate the love He lavishes upon us.

The evidence of our love is not found in what we say but in what we do.

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments..." ~1 John 5:3a

Do not misinterpret this as meaning we have to earn our salvation by works. But are our actions reflecting what we believe? (Click here to read a recent post on Believing, Speaking, Living).


God pursues us because He is madly, passionately and completely in love with us, His children.

As we walk throughout our day, the Spirit of God is hovering over our lives. Even now.

Can you hear the sound of God hovering? Can you feel the breath of His Spirit? Can you sense His Holy presence?

Is He searching, calling out to you...Where are you?

Or has He been met by your own pursuit of Him?

(Part two of this sermon and more evidence of my Pastor tampering with my notes...coming soon.)

Linking today with Michelle at Nebraska Graceful:

and counting my gifts with Ann V:

#56-65 of graces embraced and gifts undeserved by given anyway...

56 confirming words

57 words that empower

58 God revealed in us by the Holy Spirit

59 God's pursuit of me

60 Sunday evening service twice a month

61 days when I can't seem to tear myself away from the Word of God

62 three more logs on the fire burning in my soul

63 God's desire to manifest His presence in my life

64 an evening stroll in the garden

65 a Pastor who hears from God

An Invitation...A Call To Intimacy

(From my journal last Friday night 2:00 a.m.)

Dark outside, the day sleeps.  The only sounds uttered are those of tiny crickets hidden in blades of grass.  The only movements made by the glaring red numbers on the clock, a gentle reminder that time continues even when everything else seems to stop.  My body commands sleep but my soul awakens, desperate for its Maker.


In the stillness, He is here.


I sense His majesty in the silence.  Overwhelmed by His presence I can only breathe.


How many times have I ignored this invitation...this call to intimacy?

Let not one opportunity pass me by....let not one invitation go unanswered.



Linking this post with...

A Place Near Him (reposted)

(Reposted from earlier this year...)


One of my favorite passages of scripture in the bible is found in Exodus 33. Moses tells God that if His presence does not go with him, then he does not want to go. He then asks the Lord to show him His glory.

v. 18 And he (Moses) said, "Please, show me Your glory."

v. 19a ....Then He (God) said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you....."

v. 21 And the Lord said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock."

God said there is a place near Him....

In verse 21, the word place in Hebrew is MAQOWN, which means: standing place, post, station, city, land, region, place of human abode, etc. MAQOWN originated from the Hebrew word QUWN, which means: to arise, become powerful, to be established, to be fixed, to be valid, to be proven, to be fulfilled, to persist, etc.
I believe there is a place for each of us where we are more near God than anywhere else. A specific place. And when we are in that place, He will establish us there, causing His plans and purposes to persist in and through us.

Also in verse 21, is the word stand. The Hebrew word is NATSAB, which means: to stand, take one's stand, stand upright, be set (over), establish, be stationed, be appointed.

This word is a verb, which conveys an action or a state of being. In that place, we will stand (we must take action, DO something, and BE that which God has called us to be).

v. 22 "So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by."

In that place, the glory of the Lord is so great that we, in our current state, cannot handle it. So much so, that God will have to protect us, lest we be destroyed. He told Moses He would make all His goodness to pass before Him and that He would proclaim the name of the Lord before Him. In that place, God's goodness is revealed! And His name is proclaimed so that all who see it will know that it is Him!

I believe that place has been created by God and is reserved for each of us. In it, is our destiny, our purpose. There, His grace is abundant to do that which He has ordained us to do. There, His goodness is undeniable. There, His glory is all consuming. It is there, in His presence, in that place that we are so near Him, that we are changed, made whole, healed, and set free! It is there, that we are able to give out what He has placed within us.

If His presence does not go with me, I do not want to go.

I pray that the glory of the Lord will be revealed in my life, that I might be near Him and know that which I was created for, that He might establish me in His plans and purposes (not my own) and so that others can see His grace and His goodness through me. That I might find that place....

I pray, today, that you might find that place and that His glory is revealed through you!

My Soul Longs For You

All morning my spirit sang "My soul longs for You.....my soul longs for You..."  Over and over again.

I could feel an invitation.  It was an appointed time for me to fellowship with my Father, and I could find no words other than the five I had recited a hundred times already...

My soul longs for You...

With each breath I spoke these words came an increase in their depth and meaning. 

My soul longs for You...

I spoke them until I could speak no more.  I was captivated and captured by His holy presence and my words failed me. 

From deep within, my spirit uttered words outside of my understanding and beyond my human comprehension.  There were no words in my vocabulary appropriate or adequate for this moment...

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!"

Wonderfully amazing.

Indescribably good.

Like nothing on earth.

There is a yearning on the inside of each of us.  A longing only our Creator can satisfy.  No matter how or what we try to substitute, there is nothing or no one worthy to fill the place that cries out for Him.

My soul DOES long for Him....

And sometimes, whether in times of visitation, worship, repentance, brokenness or desperation,  often our words fail us.

I am reminded of the song by Amy Grant, "Better Than a Hallelujah."

We pour out our miseries

God just hears a melody

Beautiful the mess we are

the honest cries of breaking hearts...

...the silence when the words don't come...

...better than a hallelujah sometimes... 

It's not in the eloquence of our speech, the perfection in our posture, impressive vocabulary, or any righteousness we think we might have, but in the beauty of our brokenness, coming to God just as we are...

Honestly.

Openly.

Surrendered.

Answer Him when He calls.

Open the door when He knocks.

Say yes to His invitation.

Let Him be the One to satisfy the longing that only He can.

O God, You are my God,

Early will I seek You,

My soul thirsts for You,

My flesh longs for You

In a dry and thirsty land

Where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1

The Silence Speaks

The silence speaks

Beckoning me to draw near

And listen

Words spoken inflict feelings not meant for me

Guilt

Condemnation

Fear

Anxiety

And questions that shouldn't matter

What?

Why?

How?

When?
What if?

Questions my intellect can't seem to let go of.

And then my spirit quietly reminds me

HE IS THE ANSWER.

The silence breaks with the sound of His whisper

His words fill my soul and renew my strength

His presence lingers and I am whole

His grace covers and I am free

His love heals and I am complete.

My journey continues.

XO

Shelly

A Place Near Him

One of my favorite passages of scripture in the bible is found in Exodus 33. Moses tells God that if His presence does not go with him, then he does not want to go. He then asks the Lord to show him His glory.

v. 18 And he (Moses) said, "Please, show me Your glory."

v. 19a ....Then He (God) said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you....."

v. 21 And the Lord said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock."

God said there is a place near Him....

In verse 21, the word place in Hebrew is MAQOWN, which means: standing place, post, station, city, land, region, place of human abode, etc. MAQOWN originated from the Hebrew word QUWN, which means: to arise, become powerful, to be established, to be fixed, to be valid, to be proven, to be fulfilled, to persist, etc.

I believe there is a place for each of us where we are more near God than anywhere else. A specific place. And when we are in that place, He will establish us there, causing His plans and purposes to persist in and through us.

Also in verse 21, is the word stand. The Hebrew word is NATSAB, which means: to stand, take one's stand, stand upright, be set (over), establish, be stationed, be appointed.

This word is a verb, which conveys an action or a state of being. In that place, we will stand (we must take action, DO something, and BE that which God has called us to be).

v. 22 "So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by."

In that place, the glory of the Lord is so great that we, in our current state, cannot handle it. So much so, that God will have to protect us, lest we be destroyed. He told Moses He would make all His goodness to pass before Him and that He would proclaim the name of the Lord before Him. In that place, God's goodness is revealed! And His name is proclaimed so that all who see it will know that it is Him!

I believe that place has been created by God and is reserved for each of us. In it, is our destiny, our purpose. There, His grace is abundant to do that which He has ordained us to do. There, His goodness is undeniable. There, His glory is all consuming. It is there, in His presence, in that place that we are so near Him, that we are changed, made whole, healed, and set free! It is there, that we are able to give out what He has placed within us.

If His presence does not go with me, I do not want to go.

I pray that the glory of the Lord will be revealed in my life, that I might be near Him and know that which I was created for, that He might establish me in His plans and purposes (not my own) and so that others can see His grace and His goodness through me. That I might find that place....

I pray, today, that you might find that place and that His glory is revealed through you!

Compelled into His Presence

This weekend as we celebrated Easter, we were surrounded by lots of family. We are truly blessed. And yesterday, as we sat down in the restaurant for lunch, Logan (my five year old) grabbed our hands and announced that he would be the one to give thanks for our meal. As he prayed, my sister and I sat in awe and with tears in our eyes at the words coming from his mouth. I know He hears God speaking and he understood what that day so long ago was all about....

God ( Gaaaawwwwd - long and drawn out, Texas style)....thank you for the birds. Thank you for the trees. Thank you, God, for my mom and my Aunt Vicki. (long pause and thinking.......) Jesus, you died for us! (in a loud 5 yr old voice) You died on the cross for our sins! And today you are alive! Thank you, Jesus, for what you did for us! We celebrate You today! Thank You Jesus for dying on the cross! And God (Gaaawwwwd), thank you for our food. In Jesus' name I pray....Amen.

A powerful prayer full of emotion from my five year old. Thank You, God, for my children who love you.

For the last couple of days, I've heard the word compel. I know what this word means, and how to use it in a sentence, don't worry (smile) but, being the word nerd that I am, I looked it up for it's exact dictionary meaning. (And yes, I am still a member of the dictionary.com word of the day club.) There were several definitions but here are the ones I particularly liked:

compel - to have a powerful and irresistible effect, influence, etc

compelling - requiring acute admiration, attention, or respect

I feel like God speaks to me sometimes through words, or a single word. I can hear a word over and over in my spirit, and then it seems that everywhere I look or everything I read the word is there..... and I know that He is trying to tell me something. It is exciting to search for the meaning like a hidden treasure and then feel the confirmation in my spirit when His message is opened up and revealed to me. He is so good and He loves to speak to His children.

So with this word, I feel like God is saying that He requires acute (extremely great or serious; sensitive even to slight details or impressions) admiration (the act of looking on or contemplating with pleasure), attention (observant care and consideration) and respect (the condition of being esteemed or honored) from me. And He wants to have a powerful and irresistible effect and influence over my life, every moment of every day. But I must answer when He calls (no matter what I'm doing at the moment). The Father is jealous of my time and desires my exclusive, fixed, undivided attention.

One moment with Him is unlike anything on this earth. I truly am complete when I am in His presence.

Is He compelling you today? Won't you answer Your Father and allow Him to speak to you this moment? He has secrets to tell and treasure to give.............

Father....I surrender my time to You. Order my day and fill it with Your presence. Let me be sensitive to Your voice above everything. In the midst of my busyness, let me hear Your call and answer without hesitation.........Your love overwhelms me......Thank you for desiring my attention, thank you that You still speak to Your children..........