What Are You Seeking First?
When I was first learning to walk with the Lord, I struggled to maintain a good connection with Him.
Life and the things in it kept getting in the way.
Kids, work, laundry, even church commitments consumed me.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t trying.
I was.
It’s that there was just so much going on that I felt like I was drowning.
Then I saw this verse:
33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 NIV
It really got my attention, but it took a while for me to understand it.
I finally realized that I was seeking the kingdom, and the Father, second.
Yes I was praying and studying – a lot.
But I was cramming it into whatever spare time I had.
Reading a bit here and there.
Most of my prayers were, “:please help me to get to work on time,”, as I ran out the door, breakfast in one hand, a to-do list in the other.
I would pray and go over my church’s prayer list while washing dishes.
Even my quiet times were overshadowed by my long list of to-dos and the struggles of the day.
Then one day the Lord showed me it was because I was doing it backwards.
Instead of reaching out through all the pressures and demands of life to try to reach Him, I needed to set all of that down, step aside from them, and just get alone with God.
No agenda.
No prayer list.
Just one-on-one time with Him, sitting in His presence and soaking up His love.
Just the two of us, to get me back on the path.
Standing with Him as I looked at my life and began to focus on it from His perspective, I realized that I had things a bit askew.
I realized it’s not about reaching through the chaos and clamor of my day to reach God.
It’s about being one-on-one with God to face the day, asking Him to arrange my responsibilities, show me what to prune, and how to better organize things.
It was when I sat everything aside, willing to risk losing it all to be up close and personal with the Father that life began to truly make sense.
The more I focused on doing it His way, the better I was able to see what was really important, slow down, and proactively build a healthy life for my self and for my family.
It wasn’t always easy.
Sometimes I had to let go of things, habits, and even people, I cared about.
But what resulted was that instead of my having to reach through all the noise and chaos to try to find Him, He was standing with me in the peace of Christ, helping me to see my life as it really was.
He showed me how to stand with Him as I plan and go through my days in a way that allows me to honor my commitments as I continue my faith walk.
A walk that is making a better life for those around me and is giving me a much better, calmer, stronger faith.
That stronger faith has allowed me to do more good for the Father, to worship Him more, and to better trust and see that He really does have a good plan for us all.
If you feel your life is out-of-order or chaotic, I encourage you to find a chunk of time alone with the Father, a bible and a notebook in hand.
It might be hard, but even getting up 15 minutes early to just sit with the Father can be life changing.
Bring your life before the Lord.
Ask Him to help you sort through it and to order it in a way that will give you peace and draw you closer to Him.
You’ll be really glad you did.
I promise.
Karen
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.“ – Jesus John 1:4:27 (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)