Seeking God wholeheartedly
“Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp” (Exodus 33:7).
Seeking God is the most essential and rewarding activity for followers of Jesus. In fact, we were made for it. In response to the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism which asks “What is the chief end of man?”, Pastor John Piper remarks: “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever.” Seeking God, then, is fundamentally about experiencing the pleasures and joys of knowing and communing with God as we pursue Him. The author of Hebrews plainly says that “God is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). To reap the rewards of knowing God, we must recognize that seeking Him is a commitment that requires both time and effort.
Moses was one man who had a place of regular encounter with God, where he sought the face of God and experienced His presence. His personal altar was “far off from the camp” as Exodus 33 tells us; a location that would have required him to plan and set aside time to get there. Have you ever noticed that it is much harder to seek God when your life is busy and you are not making space to pursue Him? For Moses, seeking God looked like intentionally relocating himself, setting aside significant time, and saying no to other people and commitments, even while leading a nation.
In Exodus 33, we also learn that this practice was not only carried out by Moses. The text says that “everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside of the camp.” Once others tasted God’s presence and the sweetness of His fellowship, they too went outside of the camp to seek God. For Moses, the Israelites, and you and I, taking time and effort to seek God is not a burden but a delight as God himself rewards us when we seek Him with the precious gift of His presence. Even more, as New Covenant believers, we are given God’s indwelling presence forever in the person of the Holy Spirit, which means we can enjoy God’s presence anywhere the moment we begin to seek Him. What an incredible gift!
“Once others tasted God’s presence and the sweetness of His fellowship, they too went outside of the camp to seek God.”
Let’s also not forget the example of Jesus in Mark 1:35 that reminds us about his regular practice of prayer and solitude: “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Waking up early in the morning to pray after a long night of ministry must not have been easy but was surely worth it. The Lord declares through the prophet Jeremiah: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”. As we seek God with our whole hearts, consistently and diligently, we get to know Him!
There is fruit in the disciplined pursuit of God. There is more of God to be sought, found, and laid hold of through prayer. There are more of his promises yet to be fulfilled in our lives and contended for by faith. As His children, wouldn’t we desire to experience this kind of fruit in our lives?
“Is there something that needs to change so you can rekindle your pursuit of God?”
Today, take a fresh look at your habits in your pursuit of God. What are your rhythms of Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship in community? When was a time in your life when you felt God’s nearness in a special way? How consistent or intentional were your spiritual disciplines? Is there something that needs to change so you can rekindle your pursuit of God?
Let us not fail to receive all the grace and power that is available to us through pursuing Jesus, both individually and together. Let us reprioritize seeking God first and wholeheartedly, that we might enjoy the one in Whose presence there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.
Fady Ghobrial is a pastor at Arabic Baptist Church of Boston and a Ministry Fellow with Christian Union Gloria (Harvard College). A modified version of this article first appeared on dayandnight.org as part of a national prayer and fasting initiative.
