Presently, our oldest grandson, Connor, is obsessed with his red backpack. He stuffs everything imaginable into that thing: toys, clothing, car keys, phones, food, flashlights, eyeglasses, and more. He loves that backpack and vehemently insists on carrying it everywhere. To Connor, it doesn’t matter if he’s walking, sitting on the couch, riding his bike, or going in the car, his backpack is going with him. Recently, however, when ready to leave our house, he couldn’t find it. But he wasn’t going anywhere without it. In a frantic panic, he was asking everyone to help him find his precious backpack.
I was reminded of this incident while reading Psalm 14:2, which says, “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.” From this verse we understand the Lord wants us to continually seek His face in daily fellowship. After all, this was one of the reasons why man was created and placed into the Garden of Eden. Realizing this is one of our primary purposes as designed by the Lord, David urged his fellow Jews, “Seek the Lord, and His strength: seek His face evermore” (Psalm 105:4). He practiced what he preached too. His testimony was, “In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord…” (Psalm 77:2), “I sought the Lord, and He heard me…” (Psalm 34:4). But David didn’t just seek the Lord during trying times, nor did he seek the Lord in an on-again then an off-again fashion. He chose to seek Him every day. His testimony was, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple” (Psalm 27:4). What does it mean to seek the Lord? It begins with a decision. David urged in I Chronicles 22:19, “Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God….” Then we strengthen this decision when we daily “Seek ye out the book of the Lord, and read…” (Isaiah 34:16) and do as Daniel did, “I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek (Him) by prayer and supplication…” (Daniel 9:3).
Let’s choose today to become as obsessed with our relationship with the Lord as Connor is about his backpack. Refuse to go anywhere without making Him your close companion.