Seek Him
When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.” Psalm 27:8
Is the Lord tugging at your heart to spend some time with Him? If so, don’t be concerned about the everyday hub-bub; He will take care of all of that as you obey and pull away to seek Him.
Does the Lord seem to be far, far away? Have you grown numb from circumstances piling in on you, and now don’t have the energy to spend on God? If that’s you, I want to encourage you—He is near. He cares, and He longs for you to know that. The Bible promises that if you draw near to God, He will draw near to you (see James 4:8). Seek Him. He will hear the faintest whisper from the weariest one of us, and He will lift you up.
So many Scriptures speak about seeking the Lord. Although you and I are called to a 24/7 communication with the living God, the Bible also reveals that there will be times when God prompts you into a special season of seeking Him, a time in which you set aside other activities to draw close to Him.
This is what I will be doing for the next few weeks. Since I will be laying aside my blog for a period of time to spend time with the Lord, I want to leave you with some encouraging verses about seeking Him. Soak in them and pick out one or two that really speak to you. Copy them for yourself to think on as you draw near to God. Enjoy!
But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! 1 Chronicles 16:11
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10
The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. Psalm 14:2
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Psalm 34:10
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!” Psalm 40:16
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart…Psalm 119:2
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! Psalm 119:10
I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Proverbs 8:17
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Jeremiah 29:12-14
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. Lamentations 3:25
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8
And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us…Acts 17:26-27
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6
God bless you as you seek Him. See you sometime in February (or before if the Lord leads me that way).
Dorothy
Read MoreLooking back
All over America and around the world, people are taking time today to look back on this past year. After all, today is the last day on the calendar, and tomorrow begins a new year.
The Bible has two things to say about looking back:
1.) Do it.
2.) Don’t do it.
This can seem like a huge contradiction until you consider what Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” Just like there is a time to give birth and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing (see Ecclesiastes 3:2-5), so, too, is there a time to look back and a time to stop looking back. Let’s take a look at some biblical reasons to look back.
Why look back?
1.) The word of your testimony. “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death” (Revelation 12:11). The word of your testimony can involve two things. First, the Word of God itself is your testimony, and you have the right to speak it in faith to overcome your enemy, the devil. Second, your personal story of salvation and how God has manifested His care for you throughout your life is also included in the word of your testimony. You have the right to overcome the devil by reminding yourself and him of all the astonishing ways God has come through for you in the past.
2.) Memorial stones. God stopped the Jordan River from running, causing the waters which flowed down from upstream to pile up in a big heap (see Joshua 3:13) so that the tribes of Israel could cross on dry ground. Joshua, their leader, then commanded men to remove twelve stones from the supernaturally dried up river bottom and to set them up on the other side as a memorial to this miracle from God. Joshua directed “…when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’” (see Joshua 4:6), then the adults could tell them how God held back the Jordan’s waters in a big heap while they passed through on dry ground. Memorial stones are very similar to the word of our testimony. We use both not only to overcome the devil and pull ourselves out of unbelief or despair, but also to train up young believers in God’s miraculous ways.
3.) For our instruction. “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). If in your looking back you are not instructed, encouraged, or made hopeful, then you’re not looking back in the way God has prescribed. If this describes you, then stop looking and ask God to help you to adjust your vision.
4.) As examples. “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12). George Santayana wrote in 1905, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Looking back upon failures—those recorded in the Bible, in history, and in our own lives—can be a beneficial discipline when it is done as a study in what not to do. Be instructed, and then pressing on in faith, put what you’ve learned into practice.
The Bible also instructs concerning not looking back, as in Isaiah 43:18: “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past.” From what I can determine, the privilege to look or not to look is all in the “hows” and “whys” involved in the looking. Are you looking back to give glory to God, to encourage yourself or others, or to overcome attacks or negativity battering your mind? You are looking back in accordance to the will of God. Are you looking back to receive instruction in proper decision making? You are looking back according to the purpose of God—but leave room for the Holy Spirit. Are you looking back to determine how to avoid repeating certain failures of the past? You are looking back in line with the plan of God as long as you take the information you need and then return, girded and armed for an overcoming lifestyle.
Don’t be afraid to assess this past year. A good look back is beneficial on so many levels. You can receive instruction and wisdom for your future as you prayerfully consider the last 365 days.
But most importantly, as you look back, be sure to give God the glory for all that He has done for you. Because of Him, you have arrived here, on the last day of the year, to think about all that has transpired this year. He has granted you life, health, a sound mind, and the strength to finish out the year. And it is by His grace and eternal purpose that you will enter the new year tomorrow.
To God be the glory!
Dorothy
Read MoreThe power of thanking God
Have you ever wondered how to pray about the chaos out there without being weighed down by its sheer awfulness? Here’s a hint: Your natural tendency is to gravitate toward the object you are observing. I learned this from my drivers’ ed teacher when I was fifteen. He warned the four of us crammed into the well-dented ‘beginner drivers’ car that if we watched cows and horses grazing in the field, that’s where we would end up—in the pasture and not on the highway! That’s why God included thanksgiving in His list of prayer methods—thanking Him causes you to gravitate toward Him and not the problem!
Have you ever been frightened about situations in your life and asked God for help? If you prayed without thanking or praising Him, you probably continued to feel very afraid, trying to battle anxiety on your own because your eyes remained glued to the problem. Giving thanks to God pulls your attention off of the enormity of the problem and onto the greatness of God. As you gaze at God, giving Him thanks for His willingness to do wonderful things for you, the anxiety you feel drains away. If you find it creeping back in, you just ramp up your thanksgiving to God again! Thanksgiving is a powerful antidote for the anxiety you feel.
Do you try to ignore fearful situations in your life in an attempt to resist fear? Do you think about Job when he said, ‘For what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me’ (Job 3:25) and try to avoid Job’s outcome by pretending there is no problem? Is denial your strategy for dealing with fear? Is that the way you walk by faith?
Think of the boy David, one of the greatest worshipers in the Bible, watching sheep out in the pasture. When he spied the lion and the bear stalking his sheep, did he conquer his fear by ignoring the situation? Of course not! He rose up, likely with a mixture of adrenaline, fear, and a strong protective instinct and killed the carnivores! His faith empowered him to confront those hungry varmints despite the very real danger! He didn’t seek to protect his faith by looking away from the predators or by denying their existence. Dead sheep would have been the outcome of that kind of faith walk. Even worse, without the experience of subduing the vicious beasts, David may never have been equipped to take down Goliath!
Ignoring evil, by definition, is ignorance! Thanking God, however, in the face of evil acknowledges His greatness despite the growing darkness. This powerfully applies to facing the destructive forces at work in our nation. Faith confronts the frightening events with the Word of God. Ignoring such forces in our country in an attempt to stay in faith actually prevents you from becoming a part of God’s solution to change the course of events. The sense of fear is not always the spirit of fear spoken of by Paul (see 2 Timothy 1:7); at times Holy Spirit-initiated warnings are alarming—even frightening—yet they are sent by God to reveal that danger is looming. In response you pray and dig into the Word to prepare for battle—and victory.
When fear does rise up—and it will—ask God how to deal with it and the fearful situation instead of hiding under the covers, hoping the boogeyman will go away! Declare like David, ‘When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You’ (Psalm 56:3). Then in prayer confront the giants both in your life and our nation, giving thanks to God for His Goliath-defeating power!
(The above paragraphs are excerpts taken from pages 20-23; First of All, Pray: Prescription for a Nation in Crisis; © 2013–Dorothy Frick; available on Amazon.com)
Have a glorious, thankful Thanksgiving! See you in December!
Dorothy
Read More1 Peter 2:25—The Shepherd and Guardian of your soul
For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 1 Peter 2:25
For you were continually straying like sheep…
Peter was not putting anyone down when he likened all of us to sheep; he was merely telling it like it is.
Sheep have very little situational awareness. They have very little self-awareness as well, and as a result, they have been known to wander off into danger.
Sheep can be busy munching on new and unusual grass, entirely unaware that they have wandered far away from the flock and straight toward a lion or a bear—the jaws of death in search of lunch.
Humans can be busy pursuing new and unusual diversions, entirely unaware that they are being wound around and around by webs of steel masquerading as fun, stimulation, pleasure, excitement, escape—the list goes on and on.
For you were continually straying like sheep…
…but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
The Good Shepherd leaves the flock to find the one sheep that has strayed, and finding it, He deals a deathblow to its predator and snatches the sheep from its doom.
The Good Shepherd whispers in your ears throughout your life—no, not that way; go this way. He woos and pursues you, and He prods you patiently as you search for truth down dead-end paths, as you dull your boredom or pain once again, or as you dogmatically deny your need for His kind of help. The Good Shepherd is relentless; He does not give up on you when others do—not even when you’ve given up on yourself—and He quietly works behind the scenes to bring you to the place where you will eventually say yes to Him: I let go of my own way. I am now ready to make You the Shepherd and Guardian of my soul.
And there your journey ends. And there your journey begins.
Dorothy
I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me. John 10:14
© 2015, Dorothy Frick
Read More1 Peter 2:24—By His wounds you have been healed
…He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24, ESV
Why did Jesus have to suffer the horrible death of the cross? Couldn’t our salvation have been purchased by a less brutal method? Lest anyone be confused about the matter, Peter clearly laid it out:
- He bore our sins in His body on the cross (not while comfortably unharmed).
- So we might die to sin and live to righteousness (we would not have been able to die to sin and live to righteousness had He not taken our place in an atoning death—bloody by Scriptural definition and decree).
- By His wounds you are healed (He was not a Lord who dodged brutality or who hid from the cross; otherwise, “by His wounds you are healed” could never have been written).
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree…
The intimacy and vulnerability of Someone bearing my personal sin brings tears to my eyes. That which I would want no one to see; that which has stabbed me with shame—that very darkness of soul is what Jesus lifted from me and bore in His own body that day—on purpose. And that’s exactly what He did for you, too.
…that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
Try as you might to prove otherwise, sin is sewn into the very fabric of your being by virtue of your membership in the human race. As a result of our fallen nature, the prospect of you and me dwelling in God’s presence for eternity (the very reason He created us) became an impossibility. You see, He is holy, and sin cannot exist in the presence of His unadulterated, full-blown holiness. For you to dwell forever with God, either He would have to change—or you would. And God wasn’t changing. And you couldn’t …
Therefore, when Jesus bore our sins and died under their load, He reopened the door for you and me to enter into the presence of God. When you, by faith in Him, realize and believe that your own sin was placed on Him that day long ago, you identify with His death. And as a result, you die to sin and are made alive to God…no longer in bondage to sin but made righteous with His own righteousness. This is God’s gift to you for opening up your heart to Him.
By his wounds you have been healed.
To me, the invitation to live forever as His daughter is beyond amazing and sufficient to satisfy the longings of any living person. But He, being the God who is more than enough, included physical healing as well in His atonement. Just as salvation didn’t cease when the apostles passed, so too, healing did not cease to be offered when that generation died. Healing is part and parcel of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, and it is accessed just like salvation is—through faith.
It is evident that God loves health: He created our bodies with immune systems and mechanisms by which to combat sickness and infection and to heal injuries. Indeed, one of His names is Jehovah Rapha, “I am the Lord who heals you” (see Exodus 15:26). Yet because we live in a fallen world, we are, nonetheless, subject to the same diseases and maladies that affect the rest of humanity. Therefore, by His design and because He is the Great Physician, He included sickness as well as sin in the atoning work of Jesus Christ.
I want to encourage you to go to Him about any afflictions you may be experiencing in your body. Realize that it is by His wounds that you were healed. In other words, just as surely as you know you are going to Heaven because of your faith in Jesus, you can be assured that healing for any malady you may face was also provided for you in His redemptive work—by His scourging we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).
As surely as He bore your sins on Calvary, so too, did He bear your physical afflictions. Go to Him in faith, for by His wounds you have been healed.
Your Redeemer lives!
Dorothy
And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” Matthew 8:15-17, ESV
© 2015, Dorothy Frick
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