“Seek the Lord ...”
                                                                                               Amos 5:6

                                                Dearly beloved in Christ, I greet you in the sweet name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Man seeks several things in life. Some seek riches; some, medical experts and hospitals to alleviate their pain; some, life-partners for their children; some, good houses or contractors to build their houses; some, jobs to suit their education; some, a suitable place to start their business or industry. Depending upon their needs, they seek persons and things. But they have no mind to seek the God who created them. They have no time. Many of them are in sorrows. Dearly beloved in Christ, the one thing that we must seek today is the kingdom of God. Seeking worldly things, we feel disappointed and cheated. To be rid of unnecessary worries, you should seek the righteousness of God and His kingdom. Not only that, we must be eager to seek the Lord Jesus Christ who created us. As the psalmist responded, we should also respond: “When You said, “Seek My face, “My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.” (Psalm 27:8). As we seek Him with true love for Him, He will reveal Himself and fulfil our wishes and requests. Psalm 105:4 exhorts us: “Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore!” Let us devote ourselves to seek Him diligently with a whole heart. When we seek Him, He offers us manifold blessings. As we seek Him, He will fulfil all our desires and bless us. Let us meditate on how we should seek Him and the blessings that ensue.

HOW TO SEEK JESUS CHRIST?
 

1. Seek the Lord Early in the Morning

                     “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.” Proverbs 8:17

                             Usually we plan for the day early in the morning. We seek to know what is going on in our surroundings and plan things. We get ready for our jobs or for our studies. Some give importance to their health and take time for exercise, or for walking. Seeking the Lord early, we get His counsel that would guide us through the day. He comforts and strengthens us with His words at times of discouragement. Once the Lord told me early in the morning at the time I sought Him that a person was coming to meet me and so I should go to my school a little late. So I decided to go late. A Headmaster of a school came to meet me along with a friend of mine. He had to meet the opposition of the staff, students and the society for implementing some of the decisions of the management. The public began to agitate, but the management was quite unconcerned about it and asked him to manage the situation. Then the Spirit of the Lord gave Him the right guidance. When he acted accordingly rectifying some of the measures, all the problems that seemed to boil over suddenly got settled easily. When you are in the presence of the Lord early in the morning, He teaches us. So seek Him early in the morning to get His guidance and blessings.

2. Seek with Fasting and Prayer

“Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” Daniel 9:3

                                              As we seek the Lord with fasting and prayer, He blesses us by giving us the right counsel and comfort. One of the names of our Lord is Counsellor.  Daniel had a wonderful Spirit to discern the meanings of visions. One such vision terrified him. So he began to seek the Lord in prayer and fasting. He had a wonderful prayer life. His heart was acceptable to the Lord. He sought the Lord by restricting his body. He was a beloved of the Lord. Even though there was a law prohibiting prayer, he prayed three time a day. Restricting the body and seeking the Lord is an acceptable act to the Lord. As he pleased the Lord, the Lord responded to his prayer as soon as he humbled himself to seek Him. In spite of the fact that his enemies tried to accuse him and plotted against him, the Lord sent an angel to tie the mouths of the lions when he was put into the den. When he was taken out of it, he bore witness before the king. The king blamed the people who accused Daniel and they were put into the lions’ den. They were torn to pieces by those lions even before their bodies reached the bottom of the den. The Lord protects those who seek Him in prayer and fasting. He is pleased with them.

3. Seek with the Whole Heart

“And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.” 2 Chr. 15:15

Today most of the Christians go to church very casually with no fear or seriousness. The Church has become a meeting place – a social occasion of gathering and sharing pleasantries and good wishes. Dear Brother/ Sister, our Lord looks at the heart. He knows our thoughts and acts accordingly. The Lord Jesus Christ will fulfil all the desires of our heart. Hence let us do everything with a whole heart for God. I was once admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital as I was afflicted with a heart disease. At the stage of losing hope, my wife was reading the Bible aloud. I heard the word of God and devoted myself to seek the Lord in prayer. The miracle working Jesus Christ in a wonderful way gave me healing. Thus He works miracles when we seek Him with the whole heart and blesses us. Let us seek Him with the whole heart and be blessed by Him.

4. Seek Till He Rains Righteousness

“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12

                           When we seek Him in prayer, we should pray till it is answered. Ask, it will be given to you; seek, you will find it. Jesus Christ said so. Let us seek Him till He does something favourable. In Luke 15:8 and 9, we read about the lost coin. She lighted the lamp to retrieve it. She sought by sweeping the house. She lighted and sought it with the whole heart. As a result, she got it back. In our life also, let us seek till the Lord does a mighty thing. We often expect things to happen instantaneously. But we must seek till we receive the answers from Jesus Christ.

5. Seek with Oneness of Heart

“So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.” 2 Chr. 20:4

                                   The Moabites, the Ammonites and those on the other side came against Jehoshaphat in war. He was afraid. He declared a fast for the people to seek Him in unison in fasting and prayer. People came from all the cities of Judea seeking the Lord. All the children and women of the tribe of Judah stood before the Lord. Then the enemies fought among themselves and were killed. None was left out. The Lord fought the battle for them. Once a young man lost his chain while playing football. Only after reaching home, he found that he had lost his gold chain. Though it was dark he went to the playfield and started searching for the chain all over the field. Then he found the lost chain. In our life also, when we seek the Lord diligently, we will find him. Let us seek with a whole heart.

II. BLESSINGS OF SEEKING THE LORD

1. Deliverance from Fear

“I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4

We live with fear in several areas of our lives. Fear drives some to lose their senses and to live with no sleep. They keep mumbling something. Some are affected in family life and live in fear and have thoughts of suicide haunting them. Fear is terrible and leads to wrong decisions. Job said, “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” (Job 3:25). Some mothers tell frightening stories to their children to make them eat. They say that a masquerading man or a cat is coming. I have seen people who seem to be very bold, but on seeing a cockroach they get rattled and run away. Once a ministering lady came and stayed with us for some time. The very word ‘lizard’ would terrify her. One night she found a lizard on the ceiling of her bedroom and started shouting. This fear was tantalizing, even tormenting, her. Some have fears of their future; some about their children; some others about the income from their business. Fear is agonizing. But our Lord does everything beautifully in its time. He gives strength in our souls and strengthens us. Some lose their dues because of fear eating into their talents, blessings and success. Some lose the faith they had in the beginning. Peter strengthened by the words of Christ sought His permission to walk on the water of the sea. With His consent he stepped into the water and started walking. The word of Christ gave him faith. Because he had faith, he stepped into the water boldly. “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:3031). Doubt works against our faith. But the Lord Jesus Christ is always by our side to help us to lead a life without fear. Today man is gripped with the fear of death during his life time. But the Bible says that the Lord Jesus Christ came in flesh to deliver us from this fear of death. He died and rose again by triumphing over death. You must have this faith over resurrection and seek Him and then inherit the life of fearlessness.

2. Not Forsaken

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” Psalm 9:10

                       We do find people broken-hearted for several reasons and wander about as orphans in a forsaken state. Some friends join together quite enthusiastically to begin a business or industry. Later some take a lot of money from it and forsake the others. Once a brother brought another person for prayer who worked abroad and was supporting his wife and child here. After marriage, he had got employed abroad and so had started sending money for the family regularly. He used to talk over phone with his wife now and then. She told him that she had built a house and he was happy about it. He worked hard extra time and sent more money. Then he took the decision to resign and come home. But she insisted that he should be there for a few more years and send more money. Thus he sent all the money he had before coming back home. He came home and knocked at the door. But another man opened the door and asked him who he was.  Then came the wife to inform him that he was living with another man. She sent him away. He had sacrificed himself for sending her money. But now he was forsaken by the very wife. He was not able accept this betrayal and he wanted to commit suicide. Just imagine the situation. He was forsaken. But our Lord Jesus Christ would never forsake a person who seeks Him. He said: “I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16). He lives. He has promised that He would not forsake us. He will never forsake us in any situation, but support and bless us.

3. No Lack

“The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.” Psalm 34:10

                                        The Lord Jesus Christ is good to transform all our shortcomings and deficits in our life when we seek Him. The Bible says, “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psalm 33:9). “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). He will change the lack of peace in your life and make peace abound to full measure. We find that there is no peace in personal, family, and social life in the nation as well as in the church. There arises divisions and strife everywhere. There are so many people in financial need in the family and live in tears. In a prayer meeting a brother requested us to pray for his ailing wife and for deliverance from an evil spirit.  We prayed. As the evil spirit left her, she recovered her health. Then when I told the sister not to beat her husband any more, she nodded in shame. Happiness welled up in the husband. There was no peace in the family in a few days after marriage. But when they came to seek Jesus Christ, there was deliverance and peace. Today lack of a house causes a lot of problems. Dwelling in rented houses makes them to fear the owners of houses and they have no freedom to do anything in the house. People have ever so many needs. Some of them have financial needs as they have no proper employment. Some have no children. In these situations, they are terribly troubled. You may also be in some sore need that you cannot solve by yourself. Dearly beloved in Christ, if you seek the living Lord Jesus Christ whole-heartedly, you will see that the Lord supplies all your needs. David accepted the Lord as his shepherd and bears witness about it. He tells that his vessel was overflowing. You may have some disease in your body which spoils your happiness. Jesus Christ bore all your weaknesses and diseases on the cross to give you healing. “...He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” (Matthew 8:17). 1 Peter 2:24 says, “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed.” As our Lord removes all our needs, let us praise and thank Him always.

4. Prosperity

“He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.” 2 Chr. 26:5

                                                    When we seek the Lord, He makes all things prosper in our hands. People shed tears for the failures they meet with. Some change their places being unable to accept the situation. Some even commit suicide unable to bear ignominy. There are parents in dire straits not able to sell their houses to meet the expenses of children’s marriage or to settle the loans. Their plans end in failure. They do not materialize. When we have the Lord with us, He makes things prosper and makes happiness multiply. As we meditate on the words of the Bible with desire day and night, He makes things materialize. If we get His counsel and do accordingly, all that we do would prosper. The Bible says, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Rom. 8:37). Let us seek Jesus Christ whole-heartedly, and be crowned with success and blessings.

                    May the Lord bless us!

                 In the service of Christ Jesus,

                    Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.