First Things First

41He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:41-44 NIV)

How did Jesus find His way beyond what He wanted at the moment? He sought God. Jesus said, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." If you and I truly want to find our way beyond our own wishes and wants, our own desires for the toys and trinkets that this world has to offer, then we must seek God first, last, and continuously.

I know that is not a popular teaching in the church today. I am fully aware that the popular trend among churches today is to meet people's needs - help them feel more fulfilled, become better moms and dads, husbands and wives, help them increase their earning potential and boost their bottom line, help them feel better about themselves, and help them achieve the happiness that everybody is longing for in life. I know these are the popular topics that are filling Sunday school classes and pews all across our nation; the problem for me is that I simply can't find the basis for the mad pursuit of these topics in God's Word. The Bible certainly has something to say about all of these topics, God desires that we be good husbands, fathers, employees, mothers, sisters, etc., but the way to achieve this is not by focusing on become "better," but to focus on God. God's Word is filled to overflowing with godly counsel on a far greater need than al of these - and that is seeking God. John Fischer once wrote,

As the church today gets more and more hip--more and more need-oriented, responding to the buttons that people push in their pews--I find myself longing for more of a historical faith. I find myself not wanting to have everything explained to me in simple terms. I'm not even sure I want all my needs met as much as I want to meet God, and sometimes I wonder if he's really interested in the noise of our contemporary clamoring. Like my dog who can't seem to get anywhere because he keeps having to stop and scratch his fleas, I wonder if we are so busy scratching where everybody itches that we aren't taking anybody anywhere significant. (John Fischer in "Longing for Something Old" (Covenant Companion, Oct. 1992). Christianity Today, Vol. 37, no. 5)

My dear friends, our greatest need is to seek God with all of our heart. We need to spend time in prayer seeking to learn what God's will is for our lives, what He is doing in the midst of our present circumstances, and where He is leading us. We need to spend time in prayer allowing the Lord to teach us about His character, His love, His justice, His mercy, His grace, His mighty power, His majesty, and His sovereignty over all things. This is what we truly need in life. Nothing apart from seeking the Lord with all of our hearts will give us the security, rest, and joy that every person longs for in life. When we seek the Lord, when we long to be in His presence, then we will find that He begins to change us. The things that use to matter most, lose their power over us. The plans that we have pursued with fervency and passion lose their grip on us so that we might pursue the plans that God has for us. The troubles that use to unravel our souls are put into His divine perspective and we learn that nothing happens apart from His knowledge.