Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that
he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered -- 1Chronicles 16: 11-12
(ESV)
These are ever-difficult times we live in. As the Bible foretells, the love of most is growing cold and evil is ever-abounding on the face of the earth. Our country seems like it is in a continuous free fall both financially and spiritually. False religions and false prophets dot the landscape further confusing people, which is the scheme of the enemy. To keep people from the one true God. The one true salvation. The strength that could see us through these days and into eternal glory.
The key verses today speak to these facts. They speak to the dire need we all feel to have the strength of the Lord to face the day to day grind in this life. Too many Christians are bound by the enemy and are crawling into heaven. It should not be so. I am not here to proclaim our strength because our strength will not be enough. It never was enough. The world teaches self-reliance but the Bible teaches God-reliance. Do not seek self-help gurus and motivational speakers. Do not seek the latest wind of doctrine that departs from the true Word of God. As the key verses indicate -- seek the Lord and His strength.
Within these two small verses are three instructions we need to follow if we are to find the Lord and His strength. The first one is we must seek His presence continually. Now that sounds simple enough but if we were honest with ourselves we would admit that we fall short in our walk. Are we truly seeking His presence continually or when we manage to fit God into our schedule? The object of our faith must not be to fit Christ into our lives but to make our lives about Christ. That is where we can truly find His strength. Do we read the Bible every day or take it out on Sundays only? There is an old adage that says, "Show me a worn out Bible and I will show you a life that is not." Don't be afraid to mark it up, highlight it, make notes -- this is how God speaks to you! The WORDS are Holy, not the paper they are printed on.
The second instruction is that we must remember the miracles God has done. This refers both to the miracles recorded in the Gospels and to the miracles He has done in our lives. You say you can't remember any in your life? Start with the miracle that you are saved and enjoy eternal life right now! That your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life! That God sent His only Son to die in your place, while you were still a sinner! Those are miracles! What about healings? Promotions? Victories in ministry? Gifts and fruits of the Spirit? If we have a difficult time remembering the miracles than we may have discovered why we cannot find His strength either. Finding the strength of God in our lives starts with appreciating what He has already done in our lives.
The final instruction is that we must have a healthy and balanced view of the Lord. We must remember the judgments He has uttered. The Bible does not say to work out our salvation with hearts and roses. It says to work it out with fear and trembling. The fear of the Lord is the very beginning of wisdom. Understand that the Lord does not want you cowering in fear of who He is. You should be fearful of forgetting who He is. That is when you cannot find His strength. This is a large reason why so many churches are now impotent. They preach an impotent God and an impotent Gospel. God is love but He is also wrath. He is miracles but He is also judgments. You cannot have one without the other. The result of the bless-me theology of today is that has stripped the true strength of God out of the lives of those that adhere to it. Now the bless me theology may work fine when everything is going great but when you then try to seek His presence to find His strength it will leave you like it left Samson:
Then she
cried out, "Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!" When he woke up,
he thought, "I will do as before and shake myself free." But he didn't realize
the Lord had left him. --
Judges 16: 20 (NLT)
We cannot do as we did before and think we will just shake ourselves free from the trials we will face. The strength of God is available to every follower of Jesus Christ. He has already overcome this world for us and we can do the same through Him. But our seeking of the Lord must not be a part time endeavor if we are looking for full time strength. We must remember the great miracles He has already done as well as the mighty judgments He has proclaimed. We do not have the strength to see us through these times. Only God does. Seek Him today.
Rev. Anthony
