“…he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6c, NKJ)
A fundamental principle of the Gospel of the Kingdom is that the Kingdom must be sought. The well-known Scripture in Matt 6:33 spells it out like this: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. Many parables have to do with something that must be looked for (see, for example, Matt 13:45 and Luke 15:18). This is one of the most important keys for any believer to discover. It implies that God Himself often ‘hides’ from us. Prov 25:2 states it as follows: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter”.
I call this spiritual hide-and-seek, or the white rabbit’s trail (from Alice in Wonderland). You go looking without knowing what for, and you find sometimes without knowing exactly what you have found.
There are many aspects of this Godgoogle-search that we often misunderstand and which we’ll get to later, but one thing stands firm: God rewards those who seek Him. Prov 8:17 states it unequivocally: “… those who seek me diligently will find me”. Deut 4:29 gives the condition: “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and all your soul”. The search can never be half-hearted. David taught Solomon: “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.” (1 Chron 28:9).
Jesus says it as follows in Matt 7:7: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
It is God’s unwavering promise to you as you walk this path of faith. Believe it.
- Sela: 1 Chron 28:9 says: “If you seek Him, He will be found by you”. Think about the unbelievable implications of this.
- Read: Gen 19: Ps 19; John 19
- Memorise: Let Ps 19:4 become part of your prayers.
- Going deeper: Read pp 121-132 in Leanne Payne’s excellent book: Listening prayer.
