Seek the LORD Early

"O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. ² So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory."

Psalm 63:1-2

Growing up in the church, the sanctuary was the place in the building where there were chairs, pews and a pulpit.  It was the place where the church body gathered together to sing worship songs, hear sermons and pray.  The sanctuary was a place consecrated similarly to the tabernacle a temple, a place where God dwelt.  The ironic thing is in my youth I was not aiming to look for God's power and glory.  The sanctuary was viewed as God's house, a place where we showed respect for God by refraining from running, shouting and removed our hats.  David's longing and desire to seek the presence of God early is refreshing in comparison to the legalism of consecrated spaces.

From my own experience I can say people who enter a church are not always looking for the presence of God, to see His power and His glory.  If attendees hope to see a thick cloud enveloping the preacher or angelic messengers flitting about singing forth the praises of God, they likely will be disappointed.  Pious Jews today seek the presence of God at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, yet the power and glory of God is not found in a geographic location or consecrated hall:  God's glory is seen in the sanctified people redeemed by the blood of Jesus and filled with the Spirit of God.  It is not in the ornate statues or gilded pillars carved by skillful artisans but through the lives of Christians by grace through faith His power and glory is revealed.

This does not mean we look inside ourselves to find the power and glory of God:  we continually look to Jesus Christ, risen and glorified, the source of Living Water that springs up into eternal life.  David was parched for the presence of God like weary pilgrims who had traveled through an arid region and needed water for survival.  David's soul thirsted for God and thus he went where God dwelt, in the sanctuary, the place where God dwelt.  Paul revealed under the New Covenant of the Gospel Christians are the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, holy because His presence makes us so.  We are blessed to draw near to God by faith in Jesus Christ wherever we may be, and His power is made perfect in our weakness.  His presence abides in us His workmanship, and by faith and obedience we abide in Him.

How good and fitting an exhortation today are the words written in 1 Chronicles 16:7-11:  "On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD: ⁸ Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! ⁹ Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! ¹⁰ Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! ¹¹ Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore!"  Let us seek the LORD early in our lives, early in the morning and evermore!  Seeking the LORD and proclaiming His glory go hand in hand, exponentially multiplying our reliance on Him as we rejoice in our awesome God.

The Danger of Overcorrection

A lot of driving accidents occur due to overcorrection.  When driving is monotonous and fatigue sets in, as a driver drifts off to sleep their car can also begin to drift from their lane.  Waking with a start, the driver impulsively jerks the wheel to swerve back into the lane or slams the brakes.  This rapid movement to avoid the danger of the ditch creates a new one when control is lost of the car which can fishtail, spin, hit other cars, or plunge into the ditch the driver attempted to avoid.  Gentle directional correction while controlling speed helps a driver stay safely in their own lane and reach the intended destination.

The danger of overcorrection can be seen beyond our roadways.  There are many people who make negative judgments about groups of people because of a bad experience they had.  In Christians circles this tendency is seen in legalism as fresh zeal for God lends itself to condemnation of others who have different convictions and beliefs.  Arbitrary categories for music, movies or modesty are formed as badge of genuine spirituality.  Because a person attended a church where the gifts of the Holy Spirit were used in a disorderly fashion, the suggestion particular gifts of the Holy Spirit are valid today may be dismissed with scornful disdain.  Instead of seeking the balance provided by the word of God, man can swing to extremes.  Being offended by a person who identifies as a Christian has made many people swear off the church, the existence of God and a relationship with Jesus Christ.

I read a passage recently which likely provides a demonstration of overcorrection.  After the king of Judah Uzziah transgressed and was struck with leprosy when he entered the holy place and offered incense, 2 Chronicles 27:2 (KJV) says of Jotham his son who was made king:  "And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly."  Jotham was wise to learn from his father's mistake and not transgress by offering incense because this was the duty of a sanctified priest.  Jotham did what was right in the sight of the LORD, howbeit he did not enter the temple of the LORD.  The way this is written suggests to me he was keen to avoid the temple and even temple courts frequented by godly kings before him as they sought the LORD in prayer like King Solomon at the altar.  It is possible Jotham avoided the temple because it was the place his father was struck with leprosy, an overcorrection to avoid God's punishment instead of being an example of righteousness and humility in public worship of God--unlike his father.  Avoiding the temple did nothing to instill a fear of God in the wayward people.

Overcorrection leads to disaster on the roadways and is a real danger in the lives of Christians who lose the proper tension between the love and fear of God.  These are not contradictory but complimentary motivations that govern our attitudes, convictions, words and deeds.  The pendulum of a clock swings from one side to another, and it is wise for us to find a balance between extreme reactions to which we are prone.  Let us be extreme in our love and fear of God and obedience to walk in righteousness, but let us be careful not to swing towards condemning what and whom God has not.  Be firm in your convictions yet not hard as stone, for God has given us hearts of flesh to care and feel for others.

How God Helps

"Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. ¹² Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies."

Psalm 60:11-12

David knew from experience the help of man is vain, and it is not comparable to the help given by God who makes His people valiant.  These verses demonstrate how the help of God is different than help from people.  When my dad asked for my help to hold a light, retrieve a tool or lift an object, it was assistance he was looking for.  He already knew what needed to be done and possessed the materials and tools to perform the work.  Having help would make doing the job more convenient and less time consuming.  If he had a third hand, likely my assistance would have been unnecessary.

It is vital we understand God's "help" is not like a kid holding a torch so we can see the nut to turn on the engine with a spanner or lifting the other side of a table.  God did not assist David by augmenting his abilities but by doing the work Himself.  By faith and reliance upon God David was involved in the process, of course, but his valiance and ability to overcome troubles was all from God.  2 Chronicles 20:15 makes it clear the battle itself is God's:  "And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's."  The help God gives is not a little extra boost to get us over the line, for without Him we can do nothing.

After Jesus ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit was sent to fill believers, to teach, comfort and help them.  With the example of me "helping" my dad, he directed me to do something that would provide the assistance and result he wanted.  I believe many people think God should help them in like manner.  Having been told God can help them, they assume that means He will assist them by giving them what they want when they believe they need it.  That is the way man helps, not how God helps.  It would not even be appropriate to say we are like the son in the example helping his dad, for God does not need us at all.  He can do everything by just saying the word, for He created the heavens, earth and all living things by speaking them into existence.

Praise the LORD He helps us in ways beyond our capacity to fully understand and appreciate!  David was valiant because He knew God would tread down his enemies, not just to assist him with a boost of courage or skill when David felt overwhelmed.  God's strength is made perfect in our weakness, when we begin to realise we are incapable of doing God's work or will at all and start actually trusting Him to do what we cannot.  The lame man at the pool of Bethesda in John 5 lamented the lack of help of people to place him in the pool first.  He imagined a lack of people helping hindered his healing.  Jesus sought out this man and asked him, "Do you want to be made well?"  When he responded to the command of Jesus with obedience, he was immediately healed and strengthened to rise, carry his bed and walk.  Like David said, God helps like no man can.

Christ Born to You

"Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. "

Luke 2:10-11

It must have been quite a shock for the shepherds keeping their flocks by night to be accosted by angelic messengers heralding the Messiah's arrival.  Imagine how you would feel to hear "There is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour."  It would be easy to accept a baby had been born to Joseph and Mary but much more difficult to take personal responsibility for a baby that was not yours.

Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit.  Because the Child Jesus was born to them, they were responsible to feed, clothe, wash and raise Him.  Parents are called to nourish, train, discipline and provide for the needs of the children God has provided by His grace.  Children are born to their parents, not for them.  This struck me afresh as I considered man's tendency to imagine the sending of God's only begotten Son Jesus is for us, not unto us.  While we do benefit from Jesus being sent as our Saviour, Him being sent to us means we have responsibility to take action by faith in Him.

The shepherds realised Jesus had been born to them and thus they responded in obedience to divine revelation.  Luke 2:15-17 says, "So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." ¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child."  If the Child was born for their salvation and redemption, they could shrug and say, "Cool."  Because Jesus was born to them, they immediately went with haste to find the Baby they were told about.  Having found Him, they believed and boldly proclaimed widely what was told them concerning Jesus:  He is a Saviour, who is Christ the LORD.

Friends, do you realise Jesus has been born to you?  On this Christmas let us realise Jesus does not exist for us but we do for Him.  Since He has been born to us, we all have personal responsibility before God to believe, seek Him and widely proclaim Him like those shepherds did long ago.  We have good tidings of great joy to all people, for unto us is born a Saviour!  Let us adore Him and glorify Him always.