BIBLE READING: Psalm 46

How would you feel if the ground beneath your feet started giving way? What if you looked out the window and things were crashing down around you because of the quakes? What if even a giant mountain in the distance was starting to crumble from its very foundations? This is definitely not a picture of peace.

When natural disasters occur, we see chaos and instability. These are forces beyond our control. And yet Psalm 46.1 states, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” The juxtaposition of God’s presence with earthly chaos takes us back to the scene of Genesis 1 where God brought order to the chaos with just a word (Genesis 1.2-3). With power and simplicity, God made things “good”. In similar fashion, Jesus spoke a word and calmed the storm his disciples thought would kill them (Matthew 8.23-27; Mark 4.36-41; Luke 8.22-25). They rightly asked, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” (Luke 8.25).

We fear what we cannot control, and yet God is consistently revealed as One who both controls and commands the natural world. “He utters his voice, the earth melts” (Psalm 46.6). No human kingdom or force can compare to God’s sovereignty. Even the greatest kingdoms, as stable as they may seem, totter and come to an end; But God is not moved (46.5-6). In fact, he is often the source of their failing (46.9). As citizens of God’s eternal kingdom, we are called to “behold the works of the LORD” (48.8). Our God is both stable and sure, bringing order to the most intense chaos.

Not only that but both natural and national forces will be harnessed in exaltation of God (Psalm 46.10). He will bring order to the chaos. So we must learn to shift our focus from present distress to God’s presence by being still (46.1, 7, 11). To know that God is God is to know his Lordship of nature and history. He is Sovereign over all things both globally and personally. He knows the number of our days and the hairs of our head. But more importantly, he does not wield this knowledge against those who seek his kingdom. Instead, he is a refuge and strength (Psalm 46.1); a presence of safety to secure our hearts with peace. But we must be warned and be wise (Psalm 2.10-12). We must learn about our king and seek his kingdom first. We must “serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2.11). “The Lord is good to those who seek him (Lamentations 3.25), and “blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2.12). 

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90.2)

“So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”” (Hebrews 13.6, cf. Deuteronomy 31.8)

BIBLE READING: Psalm 9

“In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”

And the [Jesus] said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you; he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18.1-8)

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Jesus’ kingdom is marked by justice toward the oppressed. The pervasive image of Psalm 9 is of the king on the throne executing judgment against wickedness (Psalm 9.4, 7-8, 16, 19). He will make things as they should be. Hence the admonition of the psalm to appeal to God’s righteousness. “…those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9.10).

The challenge is we often desire immediate retribution and reprieve. We want to see others get what they deserve, and for us to be vindicated. But if we really thought that through, we might think twice. We all deserve something we don’t want to pay for (Romans 3.23; 6.23). Our sins are worthy of immediate consequences, BUT GOD has patiently endured in hope of better things. We must not presume upon God with our frustrations towards his ‘slowness’ (2 Peter 3.9). His timeline towards the wickedness in this world is often in hope of their repentance, which we either can’t see or don’t want to see (consider Jonah 3.10-4.2).

We must not put ourselves in his rightful position. He is the king who sits on his throne to judge. He will execute judgment on the unrighteous and offer hope to the oppressed, in his time. That is not our role. If we learn nothing else from the parable of the unforgiving servant, it is that God expects us to show mercy and not judgment towards our fellow man (Matthew 18.33). He will do what is right (Psalm 9.7-8). As citizens of the kingdom, we must always humbly differ our passions and appeal to the king and his righteousness.

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12.19-21)

BIBLE READING: 1 Chronicles 28.9; 2 Chronicles 7.14; Lamentations 3.22-25; Psalm 34.4-10; Psalm 27.4-8

How do we seek God first? This week’s readings give us practical direction:

• By humbling ourselves and turning from wickedness (2 Chronicles 7.14). First and foremost, we must be willing to accept God’s holiness and our unworthiness. We must fundamentally change our minds about what is important and what we will allow to direct our lives. We must seek God with our “whole heart and a willing mind” (1 Chronicles 28.9). You are not seeking God if you are unwilling to call out your sin and practice humility.
• By waiting for the LORD (Lamentations 3.25). We often think of seeking in terms of action, and this seems contrary. But waiting on the LORD is an activity of restraint and development. We are stretching our limits by waiting for God’s time. To seek God often requires we experience his consistency despite our lack of control. We must learn to calm our spirits and wait as we seek him.  
• By responding to God’s calling (Psalm 27.8). If you’re playing a game of ‘Marco-Polo’ you wouldn’t run away from the voice of the person. Instead, your next move is determined by what you hear from them. In the bible, this defines obedience. People who sought God listened and obeyed, right away.
• By crying out to God (Psalm 34.6). This is a manifestation of humility as it declares our helplessness and need. Seeking God is a promotion of his ability and our insufficiency. We often fail to cry out to God because we think we’re got it covered. The fact is, “in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17.28). We seek God first when we understand our utter reliance upon his mercy to both protect and sustain us.
• By taking refuge in him (Psalm 34.8). “God is a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46.1), and yet we are not always so quick to involve him. Sure, we run to God when we run out of options, but we must not seek God only as a last resort. Without him, we are destroyed by chaos, uncertainty, and fear. But God “is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Proverbs 30.5).
• By fearing him over all others (Psalm 34.9). This is yet another act of humility that elevates God in both our hearts and activities. “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12.29), characterized by holiness, patience, justice, mercy, love and so many other things. And yet he is accessible although Divine. We have no right to presume or degrade him with apathy or negligence. Instead, we should bring our own “holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7.1).

God has not left us to wonder how to seek him first. But we all know this is complicated because of our selfishness and desires. So, fundamentally we seek God first when we die to self and enthrone him as king. There is nothing more fundamental to seeking God first than putting to death our wants and living as new people who are citizens of HIS kingdom.

BIBLE READING: Nehemiah 1.1-4; 2.1-8; Daniel 9.1-3; Matthew 10.38-42; Luke 19.1-10; Acts 4.23-31

The common idea in this week’s reading is what it looks like to seek God first. As soon as Nehemiah heard about the trouble in Jerusalem, he “wept and mourned for days, and… continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1.4). When Daniel wanted clarity about what he was reading, he “turned [his] face to the LORD God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes” (Daniel 9.3). Following the release of Peter and John from prison, they met up with their friends and “lifted their voices together to God” (Acts 4.24).

Prayer is obviously a key element to seeking God first; but notice how quickly these people engaged God. They didn’t allow their thoughts or emotions an opportunity to take over without bringing God into the picture. Almost immediately, and without pretense, they made God prominent.

Notice the persistence of Nehemiah: he fasted and prayed for days. His efforts were not a single moment of last resort but an ongoing search for God’s favor. Seeking God first was a daily activity. Notice the humility of Daniel: he plead for mercy with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. He understood his limitations and the need for God’s wisdom. Notice the trust the NT believers had in God’s word. They quoted scripture with praise and hope. They understood this is what God had promised because his word was in the forefront of their minds.

These were not decisions made in the moment, but outflows of people invested in seeking God. When we make spiritual disciplines as a habit, seeking God first moves us to action and positions us to receive God’s blessings. In Luke 19, Zacchaeus was set on seeking Jesus, so he climbed a tree just to catch a glimpse of him. The crowds surrounded Jesus… what do you think Zacchaeus expected? Surely, he didn’t expect Jesus to invite himself over! His efforts were rewarded by the presence and salvation of Jesus (Luke 19.9).

The activities we read in these episodes shouldn’t surprise us, but how often is seeking God your top priority? Do you run to him for refuge and strength or is he a last resort? Seeking God first is an activity and not just a thought in our minds. It is a determination of the will founded in our belief that God is real and Jesus is our king. If we call ourselves Christians we must “not be sluggish but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promise” (Hebrews 6.12).

In Matthew 10, Jesus taught this priority as a necessary way of life for believers who want to be rewarded by God (Matthew 10.35-42). There is no greater relationship we can value. There is no greater activity we must desire. There is no greater life we can live than to die to ourselves and seek to follow Jesus. If we are not willing to put our natural responses to the side and seek Jesus first, we are not worthy of him (Matthew 10.38).

BIBLE READING: Matthew 6.19-21; 22.36-38

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6.21). We give our affections to things we think are most important. If we love a sports team, we spend time watching games and wearing team jerseys. If we value our career, we spend hours at the office. If a man spends all his time at work and never makes time for his wife, it insults the wife. When we make something a higher priority than God, we’re declaring that it’s more deserving of our love than God is. If we treasure and love God, we will seek him first.

Jesus would say the greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22.37). In other words, seek God first with everything we are and do. Jesus modeled practical ways we can do this. He got up early to spend time in prayer (Mark 1.35). He ordered his life to do and be what God expected him to be (Mark 1.31-32). He adamantly crafted his teaching according to what he heard from God (John 5.19, 30).

We must learn to do the same. I understand that Jesus is the Son of God who had a clearly defined purpose and destiny. It can be a daunting task to follow in his footsteps. But he left heaven to help us exposing the futility of selfish living. His teaching and example beg us to seek God first.  

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth” (Matthew 6.19). When I tell my kids “Do not do that” it’s usually a strong warning against something potentially harmful. Jesus isn’t saying, 'don’t have stuff'; but he knows the danger our earthly treasures possess. They distract us from the true treasures of knowing and trusting God. We often allow these things to not only motivate but dominate. Don’t let that happen. But how? We are so drawn and enticed by our own desires, comforts and things. The fact is we often seek our own desires and not the desires of God. To seek God first is a reset from the first thought of our day. From our waking moments, we must concern ourselves with God’s wants and not my own. My schedule, my finances, my pursuits all need to conform themselves to the thought of, “What does God want from me today?” Seeking God first doesn’t just require spiritual disciplines (prayer, bible reading, etc.). It requires we engage our most mundane moments with godly motivation. At the store, in our home, on the job, we must consider what God wants and act upon that first.

Today, don’t just claim to seek God first. Put it in your mind, treasure it in your heart, and practice it in your life. Let your words be directed by scripture. Let your activities be motivated by service. Let your heart be moved by God’s love for you and the world. Seek God first, like Jesus.