(Day 12) Seeking God Through His Word, Prayer, and Fasting

St. Matthew 5:1-16 & St. Matthew 9:35-38

The reward for the diligent seeker of God is that He is found of them. The great invitation of the Lord calls to us, Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (St. Matthew 11:28-30). The uneasiness, restlessness, and weariness of the human soul longs for a rest that only God can give. Real contentment and peace comes from being in a right relationship with our Creator.

Even after we have experienced God's saving grace through Christ, if we don't hunger and thirst after righteousness, we will yet feel that nagging, gnawing, something's missing, in our lives. And that's exactly how natural hunger and thirst feels. It's an unpleasant feeling to our bodies that we quickly respond to, to alleviate. Jesus said as a promise, Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (St. Matthew 5:6). They are blessed because they're in a proper pursuit AFTER righteousness. To not have the pursuit of God and His will as your daily desire and way of life, is to live with the IRRITATION OF SPIRITUAL DEPRIVATION. This describes who we were before we came to Christ, but unfortunately, it also depicts some that have experienced salvation, but are still feeding from tables of temptation and drinking from fountains of folly.

Through our precious time of praying and fasting, God gives us a greater awareness of the conditions of those around us. We seek God not just to be close to Him, but to be instrumental in helping to bring others to the love of God. When we seek for God, He makes us ready, to be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work (2 Timothy 2:21). One of our favorite church songs to sing is Lord Prepare Me:

Lord prepare me

To be a sanctuary

Pure and holy

Tried and true

And with thanksgiving

I'll be a living

Sanctuary, oh for You

The Lord is preparing us to be laborers that go into the fields to gather in those that are hungry for the True Bread and thirsty for the Living Waters. That's God's heart, and He's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). So God is preparing us to have a heart that is tender, filled with His Word and concerned about the condition of those around us. As Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few (St. Matthew 9:36-37).

These verses show us some things to seek God for:

1. Seek God to see - the needs and conditions; how we can be useful

2. Seek God to have compassion - to have a burden for souls and respond by the leading of His Spirit

3. Seek God to be the sent laborers - to be equipped to go

The Lord actually tells us what to ask for in our prayer time; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest (verse 38). In this time of seeking God, He's mobilizing His people into ministry to be sensitive to His leading, filled with His love and compassion, and ready to be the hands that pour in the oil of His healing.

From the heart and hand of Pastor Reginald Reaves