We read in Psalms 53:2, “From heaven God looks down to see if anyone is wise enough to search for him.” (CEV)
As we read Psalm 53:2, we realize something very important, that God is looking down from heaven to see if there is anyone among the mankind whom He has created, who are truly seeking after Him. We will also study the bible to understand that when God finds such people who sincerely seek after Him, He will most certainly bless them.
Read Psalm 14:2, The LORD looks down from heaven at us humans to see if there are any who are wise, any who worship him. (GNB)
Note the similarity between Psalm 14:2 and Psalm 53:2, which not only fills us with amazement, but also makes us realize that this is a valuable message that was being conveyed by God. There are very few verses in the bible that are repeated this way, like the above mentioned verses.
It is indeed obvious to us that the God is searching for those who will seek Him in sincerity. Each year passes by so quickly, and most of us are so busy that we keep running relentlessly like machines, without taking a break. Though the year 2020 slowed or halted most of us, we are once again caught up with the busyness of our daily routines. Right in the middle of all our mundane activities, we must have the awareness that there is a God who created us. We must desire to know our creator, and make time to speak to Him. No matter what we achieve in our earthly life, it is a fact that we brought nothing into this world, and we take nothing out of it. We come into this world, live for a specific period of time and then leave this world behind. It is therefore crucial that we can understand where we come from, and where we are going.
God is looking for those who seek after Him
The truth that we will study in this message is the fact that God sees all of the people whom He has created to find if there is anyone who will seek after Him earnestly. If there are such who truly seek after God, He identifies them, and blesses them. As you read this message think about your own life. We have twenty four hours in a day, and we hardly have time to think about the God who created us. Often this is the story of many who are so caught up with the mundane, and their life story can probably be summarized this way. They were born into this world, received a good education, found a well-paying job, were married, had children, grew old and then passed away.
1. Abram sought after God
These are the words of Joshua in Joshua 24:2, Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, has to say: 'Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. One of those ancestors was Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor. (GNB)
Though Abram and his ancestors had been worshippers of other gods before God called them, Abram was truly seeking after God. Abram’s questions may have been, ‘Are these gods able to help and protect us?’ ‘Are they able to answer our prayers?’ As Abram continued to live among the people who worshipped other gods, he was inclined to seek after the true and living God.
As we look around us at all of creation and we behold ourselves, the intricate way in which God has created us, we cannot but be in awe of this creator God. Observe our fingers for instance, and we will understand how marvelously unique each one of us have been created by God. The fact that each and every person on earth has a unique fingerprint is beyond our comprehension. Also, think about the distance of the sun from the earth. If the sun was too close to the earth we will be scorched with its heat and if it was too far away the earth will freeze with cold. However, God has placed the sun in perfect position to give light and heat to the earth. All these things could not come into place just like that, without the hand of a creator God behind them. When someone sees a beautiful painting, the first question on their mind is, ‘Who is the artist who produced this painting?’ Sadly, human beings behold all the wonders of God’s creation all around them, and yet are not keen to know the God who is behind all of it. Whenever, a person becomes sensitive to the persuasion to seek after God, just like Abram did, this desire will most assuredly guide them to the right path.
2. God called Abraham to leave all
There was this seeking after God in Abram that God must have perceived and no wonder then that He called him this way.
We read in Genesis 12:1, The LORD said to Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's home, and go to a land that I am going to show you.(GNB)
When God observed Abram, He spoke to Him and called him out. God asked Abram to leave behind his country, relatives and father’s home to follow after Him.
God speaks to us today just as He did to Abraham. Every time we open the word of God and wait on Him, we can be sure that He will speak to us. If we take time to observe all of God’s creation around us, we too will comprehend that there is a magnificent creator God. If God has created us with so much of knowledge and abilities, how much more wise and proficient should He be?
God created man to be in relationship and that is why man is always seeking to be in relationship with others. God created man in His image, and this is His attribute that He has gifted to mankind. No wonder then that God longs to have an intimate relationship with each one of us, because He is a relational God.
• Leave your country
The Lord wanted Abram to make some crucial changes in his life. Abram was seventy five years old when God called him. One can imagine that if a person stayed in a country that long, the place would have become his security. God wanted to establish the fact that Abram’s security was to be in God alone, and not in the country that he belonged to. Abram had to leave the place of security in order to inherit the blessings that God had in store for him.
Most of us who have lived for many years in a particular city know that we get bonded to that place. For instance we live on the hills and though we go down to the plains, it is only as we begin the climb the hills, do we get the sense that we are closer to home.
• Leave your people
Secondly, the Lord called Abram to leave the people he was familiar with. There must have been a special love that Abram had for his own people. The Lord however, wanted Abram to make Him his only desire.
This will be the experience of those who have left their country to work abroad. When they happen to meet someone from their own country in that foreign land, they are truly delighted.
• Leave your father’s home
Abram must have had all the rights and benefits in his father’s home. God wanted Abram to even let go of that.
Abram had to give up all that he treasured, in order for the Lord to bless him. As long as Abram was holding on to it, there was no way God could bless him. Abram had to make this separation, for as long as he remained in his own country, he would have been in dilemma over various matters, and would not have been able to hear and obey the voice of God.
3. Abram trusted God implicitly
When God gave this challenge to Abram, it was God’s way of testing to see if Abram would believe His word and decide to obey the Lord.
We read in Genesis 12:4, When Abram was seventy-five years old, he started out from Haran, as the LORD had told him to do; and Lot went with him. (GNB)
Abram listened to God’s command, and stepped out in complete obedience to God. Abram was able to do this, because He was truly seeking after God, and when God called him, he firmly held on to God without hesitation. It was because of this implicit faith and obedience that Abraham is held in high esteem by all even today. All of this began when Abram started to sincerely seek the Lord.
It is a fact that only when we trust the Lord fully will we walk in obedience to His word. Faith means to have that complete trust that God is good, and that everything He says and does will only be for our good. When we come to that place of putting our faith in God without any doubt, we will experience the abundant blessings of God as did Abram. Oftentimes we are so confused because what the Lord says, and the world says are in total contradiction. We are called to simply go forth in obedience to God, and do exactly as He says.
4. God promised Abram descendants and fame
When Abram walked out of his country trusting the Lord fully, the Lord gave him specific promises.
This was God’s promise to Abram in Genesis 12:2, I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will bless you and make your name famous, so that you will be a blessing. (GNB)
God promised Abram that He will make him into a great nation with numerous descendants, and also make his name famous. The reason for this blessing to Abram was that he in turn would be a blessing to many. So often, we want to be blessed, and want these blessings for ourselves and our families only. The Lord blesses us for sure, but He also wants us to be a blessing to everyone around us.
Abram was seventy five years old when he received this promise from God. Interestingly, Abram was old, his wife Sarai barren, and there was no way for them to have a child. In spite of this Abram believed God, though there was no ray of hope for him to see this promise being fulfilled. Abram was in a safe place, but he left it all, simply because he believed in God who called him, and knew for sure that God’s promises would never fail.
So often in life, we find ourselves in situations where our life is a near zero. There will seem to be no hope, but it is in those hard situations that God sends his word to lift us up, and raise us to a higher level.
We read in Job 8:7, “And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great.” (ESV)
When Abram started off the journey, people might have wondered as to what he would achieve. Different people may have advised him variously, especially since they did not know God. There may also have been those who threatened him of dire consequences if he left. One group might have pleaded with Abram to stay on telling them that he was putting himself and his wife in all sorts of dangers. Abram did not take heed to any of these things. Abram knew that though the beginning was insignificant, his end would be glorious.
This sort of a transformation will happen only when we heed the counsel of God, and walk in obedience to Him. Anyone who like Abram chooses to walk in complete obedience to God and His word, can be assured that though their beginnings are small their end will be very great.
5. God promised Abram would be blessed
We read in Proverbs 10:22, The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. (ESV)
You may have observed people who have loads of money, but are unable to enjoy any of it. One person told me, ‘When I came to the city I had nothing. There were days when I used to stand in front of a sweet shop longing to buy some of the goodies there. Now I have everything, but I am unable to enjoy any sweets, because I am diabetic and the doctor has advised me to refrain from eating sweets’. The blessings of the Lord are such that when He makes one rich, He adds no sorrow to it, but enables them to enjoy the blessings that He has showered on them.
We read about Abram in Genesis 13:2, Abram was a very rich man, with sheep, goats, and cattle, as well as silver and gold. (GNB)
6. God promised Abram that He would make his name great
In Genesis 23:4, Abraham said, "I am a foreigner living here among you;(GNB)
We read in Genesis 23:6, Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us(KJV)
When Abram commenced his journey, he lived like a nomad. He wandered through various places and lived like a stranger and foreigner. At one point when Abraham declared to the people in that land that he was like a foreigner and stranger amongst them, he was astounded by their reply. They in turn called him lord, and declared that he was a mighty prince among them. They recognized that God was with Abraham, and that this was the reason why Abraham prospered so greatly. Truly the Lord had made Abraham’s name great, and it was God’s presence with Abraham that made this distinct difference. Abraham sought God, and God made his name great.
David too sought after God
We read about David who was an ordinary shepherd boy. David was neglected and forgotten by his own family, who thought him fit only to tend sheep. However, David always sought after God. Though he was alone in the wilderness, David’s heart was set on seeking the Lord his creator all of the time. He knew that though he was alone in the wilderness, the God of the universe was right beside him. As David eagerly sought after God there was a wonderful relationship that developed between David and God. No wonder David wrote the beautiful Psalm 23 where he perceived that God was his Shepherd. David was always minding his sheep, and keenly watching them to keep them safe from any harm and danger. In that mundane work David understood that God was his Shepherd, and that he was his sheep.
Not only did David understand as to who God was, but he also developed this intimate relationship with God. It was no surprise then that God chose David who was forgotten, to be the most respected man in all of Israel. The one who was neglected by all became the one who was most wanted in the land of Israel. God raised David to be the King of Israel, and also chose him to be the lineage in which Jesus would be born. The only reason was that David sought the Lord with all his heart. When he did so the Lord established him, and made his name great. All of David’s brothers were in the army and they might have been proud of their position. Nonetheless, God raised David to be the King of Israel the most prominent position in all of Israel.
When we read these incidents we realize that God will honor those who seek Him, and make their name great. Let us decide to seek after God, give Him the due honor and worship, go to Him for counsel, and believe that He is the living God who will certainly speak to us.
If we can comprehend who this God of heaven and earth is, and sincerely seek after Him, He will certainly make our name great.
7. God promised Abram that he would be a blessing
The next thing that God promised Abram was that he would become a blessing to many. Abram heard the word of God and believed. Abram obeyed God, and took the step of faith that no one else did. He had no idea where he was going, but went trusting in the one who called him. Abraham inherited the land, and God made his name great. Abraham became a mighty prince. Abraham became a great blessing and if you are wondering how let us read the verse below.
We read in Galatians 3:14, so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (ESV)
In the fullness of time, the Lord Jesus came down to this earth. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, took all of our sins on Himself, and reconciled sinful man with the righteous God. Jesus came in the lineage of Abraham, who was the father of faith. Even today if we walk in the steps of our father Abraham, all of the blessings of the Lord will be affirmed in our lives too.
This blessing that was exclusively for Abraham and his descendants, was now passed on to the Gentiles only because Jesus came down into this world. The secret is that by what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary, we are able to receive the promised Holy Spirit by placing our faith in Jesus. When God created man, He breathed into his nostril His Spirit. Man had a beautiful relationship with God, which was severed, when man disobeyed and sinned against God. Even today there are many who are burdened and weighed down by the guilt of sin. It is simple, if we can only believe and accept the fact that Jesus died for our sins, and ask Jesus for His forgiveness, He takes all our sins on Himself, and clothes us with His own righteousness. God has made a way for us to live a life free from sin, because of what Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross.
It is a good for us to analyze ourselves to see if we are a blessing to others. This is the promise that God gives to those who truly seek after Him. When the Lord is in our lives, we will surely be a great blessing to many. Our bodies become the temple of the living God, and the Holy Spirit of God indwells us. We become filled with His glory, and we bring peace wherever we go, healing in places where there is sickness, and calm where there is turmoil. May we also seek after God just like Abraham, so that we too will be blessed just as Abraham was, and will in turn be a blessing to many.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
