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Seek the Lord for He is Seeking You
Andrea Lende • March 1, 2021
Luke 18:3-4
Seek the Lord for He is Seeking You
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Seek-the-Lord-for-He-is-Seeking-You-er8hu5
Luke 18:3-4
“And he was trying to see Jesus, which One He was, but he could not on account of the crowd, because he was small in stature.”
“So, he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass that way.”
We all know the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector.
The one who had stolen from others.
Zacchaeus was ready for a transformation of heart when Jesus showed up.
He desperately wanted to see Him.
It was time for Zacchaeus to meet the Lord.
His heart was ready.
But he had one slight problem.
He was too short.
He couldn’t find a clearing to see the Lord.
Did God make him too short for possibly the biggest moment of his life?
Well, we know that God doesn’t make mistakes.
But Zacchaeus could have felt that way.
He could have given up and went away sulking, but he didn’t.
He found another way to see the Messiah.
He didn’t let his circumstances deter him.
Instead, our passage tells us he ran ahead and climbed a tree.
When Jesus passed by, He knew what lengths Zacchaeus had gone to in order to see Him.
Zacchaeus sought the Lord, and the Lord sought him.
Jesus found him and spoke to him.
Can you imagine the Messiah specifically calling you out of a crowd to speak to you?
I’m sure we would all be taken aback.
Jesus not only spoke to him but also told him He’d be having dinner with him.
Verse six says, “So he hurried and came down, and he received and welcomed Him joyfully.”
Zacchaeus’ heart was ready, and the Lord knew it.
The timing was perfect as God’s timing is always perfect.
Just a couple verses later Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
I love that Jesus said He would seek the lost.
He also said He would save the lost.
In much the same way that the Lord went and found Zacchaeus, He will always be looking for us.
He will never give up.
No matter how lost or unworthy we feel, the Lord will find us.
Jesus rejoiced when Zacchaeus professed his new-found faith.
Just as He rejoiced in Zacchaeus’ transformation, He rejoices in ours.
Today I pray that the will Lord sit with me at my table and transform my heart as He did with Zacchaeus.
May you find the Lord is seeking you, desires to sit with you, and rejoices with you as your heart becomes more and more His.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me You will continue to seek me. Thank You for showing me You rejoice as my heart is transformed. I pray You make me more like You, Father. Mold and shape my heart. Put Your love in my heart so I may love as You love. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Put compassion in soul so that I reach out and help those You ask me to help. Do not let me overlook any of Your people, Father. Bend my will so I am aligned with Your will. Keep me seeking You and serving You above the things of this world. Keep my heart Yours, Lord. Keep me Yours. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM molding and shaping your heart to serve Me as I ask.
Response: Help me be obedient to You in every way, Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.