How Should We Seek God?
Thirstily—“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God…” (Ps. 42:1–2a). He thirsts so much that he says, “My tears have been my food day and night…” (v. 3a). This is the language of a desperate man. We know David lived in the wilderness while he was trying to escape King Saul’s pursuit (1 Sam 23). The “dry and thirsty land where there is no water” (Ps. 63:1) is a good description of the Judean wilderness just south of Jerusalem. But David found a hideaway there at Ein Gedi (1 Sam 23:29), where, in the deep recesses of the desert, opposite the Dead Sea, there was an abundance of water for him and his men. In the desert? Yes, in the desert!
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| Here at Ein Gedi, in the deep recesses of the desert, opposite the Dead Sea, there is an abundance of water. |
Today, Ein Gedi is one of Israel’s tourist attractions. When my daughter came to visit me, we hiked two trails…in the hottest part of the summer, during the hottest part of the day! I wore a swimsuit with a sleeveless shirt and shorts over it, and my little pack mule (my daughter) carried our water. However, if it had not been for the cool springs, pools, and waterfalls, I would not have made it. Every 10 minutes or so, I would stop and dip my shirt and bandana into the water and put them back on dripping wet. Within minutes, they would be dry again. Another survival tactic was taking the low road through the thickets, where a shallow stream flowed, with our tennis shoes still on. What refreshment to hot, tired feet! And, what an amazing sight to see the contrast between the barren desert terrain above and the tree-lined stream below! At the beginning of the trail, no one would guess water was anywhere around. What an oasis for a discouraged David and his thirsty men!
The water of God’s Word and His refreshing presence is always near, but sometimes we have to be really thirsty before we seek it. And, there are a lot of people who don’t even know where to go to quench their thirst. In his book Sermons from the Psalms, pastor Clovis G. Chappell relates a story that illustrates this:
“There is an old story of a derelict ship whose crew was starving for water. At last another ship came into sight. This distressed crew signaled, ‘Water, water; we are starving for water.’ ‘Let down your buckets where you are,’ came back the surprising answer. But such an answer seemed to these starving men nothing less than bitter mockery. So they signaled again, ‘Water, water; we are starving for water.’ Again there came back the same answer, ‘Let down your buckets where you are.’ At last they complied, not at all sure that anything would come of it, but with a dim hope that possibly they were not being mocked. And something did come of it. They found a supply of fresh water that to them was measureless. For, unknown to themselves, they had been driven into the wide mouth of the Amazon, whose waters freshen the sea for many miles from the shore.”
Longingly—In Psalm 63:1, David describes his thirst a little differently: “My flesh longs for You…” Other translations use yearns for, faints for, or languishes for. This is the only time the Hebrew word, kamach, is used in the Bible. It describes one who has “become pale,” possibly close to death. Again, it describes a severe desperation. There have been a few times in my life when I longed for God so much that I actually experienced a physical ache. It’s sad that I can only say it was a few times. How severe is our longing for God?
Joyfully―There is another contemporary worship song that calls worshippers to “dance like David danced.” Some churches invite worshippers to do just that, while others have a hard time with it. Yet, David danced before the Lord when the ark was brought into Jerusalem. The story in 2 Samuel 6, tells us he even “leaped.” There is a dance team in Colorado, where I live when I’m home in America, who dances like that in worship. It is thrilling to watch their joyful abandonment. But there are other ways of showing joy: shouting, clapping, raising your hands, singing, or playing instruments—and all of them are scriptural. In these ways, we are expressing our love for God passionately.
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| God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. |
Can we “seek” God with joy? Yes, in fact, the fastest way to get into God’s presence is with praise. However, it doesn’t always start with a feeling of joy. We may be down in the dumps, feeling very heavy of heart, but if we discipline ourselves to think differently (Col. 3:2; Phil. 4:8) and begin to praise Him and thank Him, our spirit begins to lift. The book of Psalms helps us do that. When you can’t do anything else, read a psalm!
Diligently—Although this word doesn’t come from one of David’s psalms, it needs to be included here. The writer of Hebrews says that God “…is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6b). Definitions of the Greek word for “diligent” include: to investigate, scrutinize, beg, or crave. In Standing on the Rock, author Rebecca Brown comments, “Diligently means work. We must work to get to know God.” As a writer, I relate it to the work required to write a term paper or doctoral thesis. This is not just about a desire that makes you tingle on the inside; it’s about discipline.
By Charleeda Sprinkle
Assistant Editor
All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version unless otherwise noted.
© 2010
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Bibliography
Brown, Rebecca, and Daniel Yoder. Standing on the Rock: The Powers of God’s Covenants. Clinton, AR: Harvest Warriors
Publishing, 2002.
Chappell, Clovis G. Sermons from the Psalms, 1931. http://www.abcog.org/psa042.htm.
Kolatch, Alfred. The Jewish Book of Why. NYC: Jonathan David Publishers, Inc., 1995.
Murray, Andrew. The Believer’s New Covenant. Bethany House Publishers, 1984.
Steinberg, Milton. Basic Judaism. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Co, 1975.
