1/25/2023
With All Your Heart
Begin the new year with God
May your heart be reconnected with him today as we spend time in his presence.
Introduction
Nothing is more life-giving than walking in the presence of God. Today we’ll be exploring how to walk with God, not simply in occasional moments but continually. God is with us everywhere we go, yet it’s so easy to forget about him in the busyness of our daily lives. May your heart be reconnected with him today as we spend time in his presence.
Scripture
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13
Devotional
Have you ever experienced God in a sunrise? Have you sensed his presence during a walk on the beach or a hike through the woods?
Most of us have times when we sense God’s nearness. At other times, he feels far from us. I can offer personal examples: navigating the stress of rush-hour traffic when I’m late to a meeting I’d rather not attend. Or sitting with someone going through intense grief I’m not able to lessen. Or watching news reports of tragedies I cannot prevent.
It certainly seems that there are “God moments” and there are “rest of life moments.” But this is not the way God created it to be. He wants to be as close to us in the hard times as in the good times. He promises us in Isaiah 43:2 that “when you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” John 11:35 tells us that he grieves as we grieve and feels every pain we feel.
God wants us to experience the power and strength of his presence in every moment of every day.
As we noted in yesterday’s devotional, we have been conditioned to seek God on Sunday and during religious activities but not during the rest of the week. We tend to turn to God in the good times and turn from him in the bad times.
But if you can learn to seek him “with all your heart,” every moment of every day, in every circumstance of life, he promises, “You will seek me and find me.” He longs for this kind of constant intimacy with you. Our Father wants his children to experience his best constantly and consistently.
To do that, we may need to develop the reflex of seeking God in every moment of the day. Ask him to reveal himself in your circumstances and in other people. Ask him to make his presence real to you in the experiences of your day. Look for him at work as you work; listen for his voice in your soul. Read and memorize Scripture, then recall its words as they apply to the decisions and challenges of your day.
In The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer noted, “The facts are that God is not silent, has never been silent. It is the nature of God to speak. The second person of the Trinity is called the Word. The Bible is the inevitable outcome of God’s continuous speech. It is the infallible declaration of his mind for us put into our familiar human words.”
Would God say you are seeking him today with your “whole heart”?
today’s devotional is written by Jim Denison
Prayer
1. Reflect on God’s desire to speak in every dimension and circumstance of your life.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).
2. Take time to experience God’s presence in his creation. Step outside if you can to meet him in nature. If you cannot do this, focus on images or memories of nature. Think about the attributes of your Creator on display in his creation.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1–3).
3. Now ask the Spirit to help you seek God with your “whole” heart throughout your day, looking for his presence and sensing his grace.
“You will seek the Lᴏʀᴅ your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29).
Worship
Go
Seeking God holistically is a choice we can make. In fact, it is a choice we are commanded to make: 1 Chronicles 22:19 says, “Set your mind and heart to seek the Lᴏʀᴅ your God.”
This is also a choice we can model and offer to others. If they see the transforming difference the presence of God makes in our lives, they will be drawn to him and the peace we experience.
Leonard Ravenhill asked, “If you have the smile of God, what does it matter if you have the frown of men?” Share the smile of God with those who need what you have and you will spark spiritual awakening one person at a time.
Extended reading: Psalm 119:1–8
Share the smile of God with those who need what you have and you will spark spiritual awakening one person at a time.
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