At twenty-one years old, I took a gap year in college to serve with a ministry team. We traveled all throughout the East Coast, overseas to Panama and Argentina, and I even spent my winter break doing missionary work in Japan. 

By the end of that year, I was exhausted. I expected that if I was busy serving God, I would feel closer to him in some way. But I felt empty. I remember sitting down and writing in my journal, “Every time I get a drop of water in my cup, I have to spoon it out and give it to someone else.” I went on, “If this is ministry, I don’t want any part of it.”

A week later, while serving in yet another Church, one of our team members announced that she was leaving and heading back home. I read her the riot act, “How can you walk away from the ministry? Where else are you going to have a greater opportunity to serve the Lord?”

She responded, “Adam, it doesn’t say that God rewards those who diligently serve him.” Just like that, I was struck down, and my hypocrisy was exposed. I knew that verse, Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (ESV). I had been so busy serving, entitled in thinking that I deserved certain rewards, that I had neglected to seek the Lord. 

That was a pivotal point. I committed myself to seek the Lord from that day on. Almost instantaneously, my cup was full, and I was ministering out of the overflow into everyone I encountered. Instead of saying goodbye, I would end every encounter with, “Seek the Lord!” 

Years later, while serving in the Church that would eventually ordain me, my pastor confronted me, “You keep telling people to seek the Lord, but what do you mean by that?” Unfortunately, I didn’t have a clue how to answer him. I had never thought through the implications and put them into practical steps. All I knew was that it had made a difference in my life and I wanted it to do the same for others. 

That led me to discover Psalm 63. It explains, in practical steps, what it means to seek the Lord. 

IN THE WILDERNESS

This psalm was written by King David when he was in the wilderness. There were two seasons in David’s life where he lived in the desert: when he was running from King Saul as a young man, and when he was much older, running from his son Absalom. Both were trying to kill him. Based on the references within this psalm, most scholars agree that it was written while David was fleeing from Absalom. 

David writes, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1, ESV). 

This passage is bookended by Psalm 42, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, ‘Where is your God?’" (Psalm 42:1-3, ESV). Despite the many examples where this psalm is inscribed on a painting showing a deer in a lush green forest drinking from a flowing stream, Psalm 42 depicts the opposite: a deer in the desert, unable to find water, quenched only by its own tears. 

While the scenarios of Psalm 42 and Psalm 63 are identical, their perspectives are different. Psalm 42 is a lament, a broken-hearted individual crying out to God. Psalm 63, however, is a song of thanksgiving. How was David able to have the joy of the Lord while running for his life in the wilderness? Because he was seeking the Lord. 

BEHOLDING

What does it mean to seek the Lord? It couldn’t be any more straightforward. All we have to do is observe the action verbs in Psalm 63, “...earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you…So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory” (Psalm 63:1-2, ESV). Instead of focusing on his circumstances, David looked to God in the midst of his wilderness experience. 

I remember when I first came out to Cape Cod to interview with my predecessor, Dr. John DeBrine. I had fully intended to decline the position when John asked me, “What in your life is only explainable by God?” I was taken aback because I had been telling everyone to seek the Lord, but I didn’t have an immediate answer for what God had been doing in my life. That changed everything for me, and I took a step of faith to come and work for Songtime Radio. 

In my earlier testimony, I described my experience as a desert wasteland. I barely had a drop of water to fill my cup. The problem was that I was fixated on my feelings and surroundings. I wasn’t looking for God; I was only looking for my reward. 

The first lesson we have to learn in seeking the Lord is that he is greater than our circumstances. Knowing him and being loved by him is the greater reward. When we focus on our problems, we are being too near-sighted to see the grandeur of God. The moon is smaller than the sun, but during an eclipse, it can block it out entirely. 

Seeking the Lord requires us to fix our eyes on Jesus, look to the hand of God for all our needs, and examine his fingerprints throughout our life as evidence that he is in control and caring for us even when we don’t realize it. 

PRAISE

Beholding God leads to a heart that overflows with gratitude. This leads us to worship him. Notice the next set of verbs, “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips” (Psalm 63:3-5, ESV). Looking at God leads us to behold him in all his glory and majesty. 

I encourage you, when you start your day, to read the Bible with the primary intention to see how it describes the majesty of God. Don’t go directly towards a point of application. Don’t look for the promise of a blessing or reward. Just spend some time mesmerized with who God is. In my Church, we start our service with a Scripture reading as a call to worship. This isn’t the text we will be studying in the sermon. It is just a few verses that draw our attention to the wonder and awe of God. 

When we prioritize points of application, we are subtly teaching ourselves what we think we have to do to earn God’s favor. When we prioritize points of blessing and reward, we place unrealistic expectations on God. When we place ourselves as the central character of the Bible, we put all of the burdens of success and all of the consequences of our failure on our own shoulders. These misreadings are not only dangerous, but they will also disappoint us. But when we keep in mind that God is the central character of the bible, and not us, we will discover how awesome he is, and everything else, our anxieties and fears included, will seem small in comparison. 

MEDITATE

It is safe to say that, throughout David’s life, he had countless examples of where God had proven himself faithful. Notice the next set of examples for seeking the Lord, “When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me” (Psalm 63:6-8, ESV). 

After reading Scripture, spending some time in worship, and allowing the Word of God to permeate your inner being, go ahead and tackle the rest of your day. But as you go, try to reach back into your memory and recall what you read that morning. See how often your devotions intersect with your regular routine. 

My friends point out that they can tell what I've been reading based on what comes up in our conversations. That practice is born out of my devotional life and my pursuit of the Lord. I can’t help myself. In fact, I assume that is the work of the Holy Spirit. By God’s divine plan, he prepares me beforehand to talk with the people he brings across my path. 

Finally, when the day is done, spend some time before going to sleep taking an inventory of your day. I often tell people who have trouble sleeping, “Don’t count sheep, count your blessings, name them one by one.” If we start our day with Scripture that leads us to behold a God who is greater than our circumstances, and meditate on that throughout the day, by the time we lay our head down, we will have a lot to to be thankful for. 

Seeking the Lord is pretty straightforward. There’s no secret formula or hidden pattern. It's a basic approach to getting to know God and growing closer to him day by day. By starting each morning in God’s Word, you are framing your day through the lens of God’s purpose and plan. By worshipping, you are envisioning a God who is greater than any troubles you will face throughout the day. By meditating on what God has already done, you develop muscle memory that fortifies your faith and brings you peace and rest.