OCTOBER 19
Focus: Seeking God for the things we desperately need
Psalm 33:20-22 (NKJV) Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You.
Everyone wants justice. If we have become numb about many things, most of us are still passionate about having justice. We talk about justice. We believe in justice. We want justice. But do we pray for justice? Quite honestly, most of us don’t deserve justice and would be afraid to pray for it…knowing that if justice were truly administered for our ways…we would all stand condemned.
So, how about mercy? We would all like to have mercy, more than justice. God is a just God—but He is also a merciful God. So, what about praying for mercy? Many of us know that mercy is our only hope…and yet we may not even deserve mercy.
So, how about grace? Grace is ‘unmerited favor’—or, getting a good thing you don’t deserve. We would all like to have grace and mercy…we would highly benefit by having a generous dose of mercy we don’t deserve—instead of justice.
How much grace and mercy would we be entitled to, if grace and mercy were ‘handed out’ in the same measure as our willingness to hope in God for those things—and spend time expressing our hope for them, through prayer? Well, there again, most of us would not be entitled to much grace and mercy, either.
Without justice—our world will continue to grow more and more wicked. Without a standard to adhere to, anarchy will reign. With anarchy—there is neither grace or mercy…only chaos.
Many people think there is no need for righteousness, but righteousness and justice are the foundation of the throne of God, according to Psalm 89:14. If the throne of God is established on righteousness and justice, we’d all better live contemplating whether our lives agree with those important precepts.
People who don’t seek God have no respect for righteousness and justice. They live by their own ways, believing there are no absolutes. They try to convince themselves and others that there is no need for truth or standards of righteousness and justice.
But we desperately need righteousness, justice, grace, and mercy…and we need to seek God as the possessor of all of those things.
1 Chronicles 16:10-11 Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore!
1 Chronicles 28:8 Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, be careful to seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever.
2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 15:12 Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul.
Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
There is no better way for any of us to spend our time, than seeking God in prayer, for the things that are most important.
Declaration: I will find new strength by seriously seeking God for righteousness, justice, mercy, and grace.
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