The Invitation to Seek
Psalm 27:8 ESV says, “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” This is a verse that I will never forget. It is probably because it is the most straightforward description of what the invitation to a life of abiding is like. We remember today that we only get to abide daily because God, by his Spirit, invites us to seek him.
Have you heard his invitation lately?
His beckoning is never demanding or filled with condemnation. He just says, “Come to me. Seek me, and you will find me.” Matthew 11 and Matthew 6-7 paint a picture of God’s invitation to his people.
No one ever deepened their relationship with God because of pure willpower. Many people have deepened their knowledge of theology and Christian practices by working hard and pushing themselves. But no one ever increased in the knowledge of God and his glory by striving.
You might say that discipline is an essential part of the Christian life. I would agree with you, but discipline is different from striving. A marriage will become lopsided when the day-to-day give and take is neglected. Big gestures of love will fall out of place when intimacy is not the center of the relationship. When it comes to relationships, the receiving end is often where things get messed up. This isn’t a devotional on marriage, but it is worth noting that when either partner gets shut down from receiving love, it has as much damage as one of them neglecting to give love.
In our relationship with God, there is no doubt that God will faithfully give his love to us. The change comes on our end when we put up walls to stop ourselves from receiving his love. That could happen because we feel afraid, unworthy, or something else.
Ironically, our attempts to devote ourselves to God in our own strength could be the very thing that blocks us from intimacy with God. Remember that Psalm 27 shows us that the beginning of deepening our relationship with God is responding to his invitation.
Perhaps it feels like sinning to even ease up on one minute of the time you have dedicated to seeking the Lord. It could feel like giving up to set the devotional book aside (or even this devotion) to sit in God’s presence. Did you know that God is not upset with you when you forget one part of your morning routine? He is not disappointed because you read your bible but forgot to pray. He is not mad when you remember to pray for your family but run out of time to read a few verses.
God wants to break down our perception of success to receive the most straightforward definition: do you hear his voice? Many believers today are trying to say, “Your face, Lord, do I seek,” before hearing the voice of God say, “Seek my face.”
I want to invite you to listen today. It might be the first day in God rebuilding intimacy and life into your relationship with him. Trust that he will invite you to be with him because he loves you. He wants to connect to you more and show you more of his love.
Listen for his invitation today.
Amen.
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Abiding happens daily in his presence. Abiding Daily is a simple and practical reminder to stay connected to the vine. Each prompt is inspired by the scriptures and designed to point you toward prayer and encounter. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To get the Daily Invitation sent to you every day click this link or text “Daily” to +1 (779) 237-3914.
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Our first devotional book is available on our online store! Abiding Daily: Volume One is a devotional book including 120 prompts from the Daily Invitation. This book is designed to help believers connect with God through the word and discover more of what it means to abide in Christ. Click here to learn more.
