“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.” – Proverbs 8:17
To be fully satisfied by God is His will for us. There is a special kind of peace and contentment in living when we have our hearts set on God and our trust fully in Him. I have been a goal-oriented person my whole life, and I am sure many of you reading can relate. Oftentimes, I find myself thinking about my next steps, what’s the next thing I need to work toward? Always trying to work for the next thing, and once that’s accomplished, asking “what’s next?” This mentality is rewarded in our culture as well. While, of course, it is a good thing to have goals and work hard toward them, we also need to remember what our primary goal in life is. Our hearts should find full satisfaction, not in the accomplishments or goals, but in God.
We need to keep God at the head. God should be the first and foremost person we pursue. The word Proverbs 8:17 that stands out to me is “diligently.” For a while now, I have been finding myself thirsting more for God and not being satisfied with worldly things that used to pacify me. I am learning to lean more and more on God for that feeling of wholeness that I believe everyone yearns for. Along the way, I’ve experienced that desiring to seek God is not enough. We need to actively seek Him with diligence, meaning to be intentional and consistent. Just as any other relationship we have with others here on earth, our relationship with God will suffer if neglected or not consistently prioritized. Moreover, to love God is also an action, not merely a feeling. In John 14:21 (NKJV), Jesus says, “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” So, Jesus here is clearly saying that our love for God is demonstrated by obeying Him. Sin is the barrier between ourselves and God, so we cannot live lives characterized by continual sin and also say we love God and expect to grow closer to Him.
Additionally, when Jesus is asked in Matthew 22:36-38 (NIV), “What is the greatest commandment in the Law?” He says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Pursuing God requires our whole being. God wants all of us. There is a promise for us as we do this. James 4:8 (NKJV) says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” So our pursuit of God is promised to be reciprocated and will never prove to be futile. God created us to glorify Him and to have an intimate relationship with Him, so it pleases Him when we act on our desire to draw nearer to Him.
In the midst of our busy lives, in the midst of suffering, pain, loss, in the midst of rejoicing and celebration, we need always to remember that true satisfaction is found in God Himself. And to have this, we have to pursue Him daily, with all of our being.
I pray that our hearts will yearn for the Lord above all else, that we would draw nearer to Him daily, and in doing so, experience His nearness to us. May our love for Him grow deeper as we seek Him diligently, with all of our heart, soul, and mind. Amen.
