Will You Seek the Lord?
/“Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”
If we’re honest with ourselves, many of us have asked questions similar to those found in Psalm 77. When we look around, either at our own lives or the lives of others, we see trouble, challenges, and suffering. Where is God in all of this?
We can be quick to dismiss God altogether, assuming he either doesn’t care or is simply non-existent. But Psalm 77 does not end with these questions. Yes, the psalmist asks these hard questions, but then he returns to his memories.
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. ”
This is why we pray! We serve a God who is always faithful. When we look to the Scriptures, we discover a God who has never forsaken or forgotten his people. When we reflect on our own lives, we are reminded of a God who not only has always been present but also active. Vintage Church, today I need that reminder. We so easily forget who God is and what God has done. It is as if we wake up one morning and begin to suffer from spiritual amnesia.
But if God is present and active in our lives, then that reality should change how we live and engage God. This reality means we seek the Lord because he longs to hear from us, his created and redeemed.
Starting Wednesday, January 8th, Vintage Church is beginning a 40-Day Season of Prayer and Fasting. Why? Because God is present and active in our lives. He is working and wants to continue to work in your life, Vintage Church, New Orleans, our country, and our world. As we enter into this season of prayer and fasting, I want to challenge you with a few things:
1. Commit to pray everyday
We’ve equipped you with 40 items to pray for each day of our season of prayer. You can find those items at anticipatenola.com/prayerchallenge. Carve out time each day to seek the Lord. Pray for yourself as well as the elements we are praying for as a church. To learn more about prayer, check out one of our blog posts on prayer.
2. Cut something out of your life
Fasting is never easy, and chances are most of us have never fasted before. But fasting is an incredible opportunity to seek the Lord with greater eagerness and fervency. When you remove something from your life, you replace it with prayer. You can cut a drink or food item from your life. You can cut a meal or several meals. You can cut something you enjoy, like technology or social media. The point is to remove something so you pursue the Lord more. To learn more about fasting, check out one of our blog posts on fasting.
3. Carve out time with the Lord
Read the Scriptures. One of the greatest ways we hear from the Lord is by reading his inspired Scriptures. Currently, Vintage Church is reading through the She Reads Truth/He Reads Truth Bible Reading plans. You can find those and learn more at vintagechurchnola.com/biblereading.