PSALM 27:8 – You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”
THEME OF THE DAY. LIFE’S ULTIMATE PURPOSE. Here is a simple question. It is one which at one point or another in a person’s life will likely be asked. It may come at various times. During seasons of grief, loss, or some other difficulty, we may ask, “Why? What is the purpose of life?” Or a person might be seeking contentment through all the pleasures in life, achievements in life, relationships in life, and anything else under the sun, and feel the emptiness in all and cry out like King Solomon, “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. What is my purpose in life?” Still we might find ourselves in a reflective moment, like looking out over an ocean, walking in the woods, or staring into a star-filled sky and whisper, “Why do I exist? What is my reason for being?” I do hope each of us are asking this of ourselves regularly, even as Christians, for we easily get distracted from the simplicity of why we were created and are still on this planet.
Well, the answer is “We exist to know God, glorify God, enjoy God, and that by obeying God.” There it is. That is why we exist. It does not matter who we are, where we live, what our vocations and roles in life, the circumstances we find ourselves, or the situations upon us. We exist by God, for God, to know God, and that is lived out by a life of obedience (John 14:15; John 17:1-3; Romans 11:36).
With all that said, let us look at a different angle on our obedience to the Lord to know Him. It is based on today’s scripture and should cause our hearts to soar in praise and thanksgiving. What is God commanding of us? To seek Him. And to seek Him is to know Him. And remember, God doesn’t need us for anything. He is complete and fulfilled in and of Himself. The fellowship of the Trinity is enough. The command to seek Him to know Him is not for His sake but ours. Granted, He is pleased and glorified by our obedience of seeking Him, but really, think about it, who benefits most in the command? Us. We get the privilege of knowing God. We, because of amazing grace and love, are enabled to fulfill the purposes not only of our creation but our re-creation in Christ by salvation. But there is something else in today’s scripture – the response of David to God’s command to seek Him.
Immediately, the cry of David’s heart to the command of God to seek Him is “I will”. How natural a response in the tender heart of a child of God when awakened to the privilege of obeying God’s command to “know Him.” So, what about us? Are we overwhelmed by the graciousness of God commanding us to know Him? I hope so, but there is more. Always remember when God gives a command, He gives the strength and direction to obey the command. The application? God wants us to know Him, and not only provides the “compass” to do so in the command to seek Him, but will provide the means – His power, His Word, and His encouragement to do so. What a glorious God who would make known to us life’s ultimate purpose – obeying Him, to know Him by seeking Him, and then give us what is necessary to obey such a command!
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for calling and enabling me to obey Your commands; my created purpose.”
QUOTE: “What an act of love for our Holy God to command us to seek Him, and that for our good.”