Going Hard After God

Have you come to the place in your pursuit of God where you can say as Jesus said to His disciples in John 4:34: "My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work."

Has our hunger for God and His perfect will being done in our lives become like the very bread we eat?

Maybe we’re not hungry enough yet.

The Results of Going Hard After God

Let me quickly list for you the wonderful results of going hard after God. They are all found here in the rest of this chapter:

1. A display of His power and glory - Verse 2 …Once we begin a renewed pursuit after God, we will immediately begin to see His power and glory displayed in our lives as never before.

If you long to see God work miracles in your life and in our church, the secret is going hard after Him, as a church and as individuals. When God shows up in our lives and in our services good things start to happen.

I can tell you the world outside the walls of this church are desperate for a display of God’s power and glory. Most of them won’t take the time to come inside just to see us "doing church," but they will come to see God at work among us.

Quote… John Wesley said the reason people came by the thousands to hear him preach was because "each time I set myself on fire, they came to watch me burn." God help us to do whatever it takes to set ourselves ablaze for Him!

2. New freedom in praise and worship - Verses 3, 4

As David’s heart is warmed by a new awareness of God’s love for him, his lips, heart and hands were freed up to praise and worship Him.

As He moves in new power among us, we will respond with new freedom in praise and worship as never before.

• It will be a spontaneous kind of worship that will not be dependent on who is or is not in leading it.

• It will break across service schedules and time constraints to flow like a mighty river through this place.

3. Inner satisfaction of soul - Verse 5

Remember all that hungering and thirsting mentioned in verse 1, all the dryness and weariness? Well, apparently that problem was solved for David.

Likewise, as we begin to draw nearer to God, He responds by satisfying the inner longing of our souls.

Ps 107:9 says "He satisfies those who are thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." TEV

Ps 103:5 puts it this way: "He fills my life with good things, so that I stay young and strong like an eagle."(TEV)

Don’t you just long to fill the inner craving for more of God? Don’t you get tired at times of going through the motions spiritually?

Here’s the answer–go hard after God and He will satisfy the inner longing of your soul with Himself.

4. Freedom from fear - Verses 6, 7

One last blessing of going hard after God–freedom from fear.

You can lay down at night and sleep because you know God will keep watch over you and yours.

Psalms 4:8: "When I lie down, I go to sleep in peace; you alone, O LORD, keep me perfectly safe."

Ps 63:7 says you can sing in the shadows because He is your help and He will be there with you.

Isaiah 26:3 says, "You, LORD, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you." TEV