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SEEK THE LORD
(Delivered 6-30-02)

The Bible says, "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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their
sin and will heal their land" (II Chron. 7:14).

Now, most of us know how to pray and we understand that we
should turn from our wicked ways, but do we really know how to
seek God's face?

Another Scripture says, "If . . . you seek the LORD your God,
you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and
with all your soul" (Deut. 4:29).

How do we do that? How do we seek the Lord?

Well, in our search for God, we must start from where we are.
Each person is at a different place in life. Our temperaments
are different; our backgrounds are different; our experiences
are different; our needs are different; and our goals are
different.

Let's look at 3 ways to seek God:

I. FIRST WE CAN SEEK GOD THROUGH BEAUTY.

The Psalmist said, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness"
(Psa. 29:2, kjv).

The beauty of God includes nature and art and music. Shelley
said, "Why should dynamic dirt, going it blind make symmetry and
rhythm and light and color? How can such an explanation account
for a red bird in a dogwood tree, or Michelangelo's "Pieta", or
Beethoven's symphonies? There must be an artist at the heart of
things."

God is in beauty. The Psalmist said, "One thing I ask of the
Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the
Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the
Lord and to seek him in his temple" (Psa. 27:4).

Isaiah said, "Your eyes will see the king in his beauty . . ."
(Isa. 33:17).
Early one morning a Florida observer said, "I saw a solitary
figure walking the beach in a fixed pattern: a few paces one
way; turn, come back almost in his own footsteps. His eyes were
fixed on a metal loop at the end of a wand which he carried in
his right hand. The wand seemed to be wired to a set of
earphones, clamped tightly over the man's head. Occasionally he
would stop, dig in the sand with his boot and then move on.

He was a modern day beachcomber. The apparatus indicated the
presence of buried coins or jewelry through a series of clicking
sounds in the earphones. It's an interesting gadget, but in a
way I pitied the man because, in looking for treasures that
might be buried in the sand, he was missing the treasures which
were all around him: the birds chasing the tide; the sparkling
waves; the pelicans; the sunrise-the beauty of nature."

Another man said, "When I want a worship experience, I slip out
on a summer evening and pretend the stars only appear once every
100 years and this is the night. Then, if I'm very still, I
begin to see the sky jeweled with countless twinkling lights and
I'm overwhelmed with the grandeur of God."

People who are sensitive to nature and art and music will find
God in Beauty. Our country has much beauty. Let's preserve it.

II. NEXT, WE CAN SEEK GOD THOUGH TRUTH.

Jesus said, "A time is coming and has now come when the true
worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of
worshipers the Father seeks" (John 4:23).

The truth of God includes knowledge and insight and wisdom.
Even so, as the poet said:

We have not yet arrived
Without this growing notion:
Our knowledge is a drop;
Our ignorance an ocean.

It's not difficult to find people who have opinions and schemes
about helping mankind. The problem lies in finding those who
are willing to spend the time and effort required to develop
expertise and excellence. Desire is not enough.

Can you imagine what would happen if someone entered the ward
for patients about to undergo surgery, brandishing a scalpel and
declaring, "I have no medical training, but I do have a burden
to help suffering humanity."

That won't do! Talent must be trained! Desire must be
disciplined!

God is truth. The Psalmist said, "Guide me in your truth and
teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all
day long" (Psa. 25:5).

Isaiah said, "Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so
by the God of truth; he who takes an oath in the land will swear
by the God of truth . . ." (Isa. 65:16).

It's unfortunate that some religious leaders have pitted faith
against reason. They seem to disparage and even discourage the
use of our minds. A.W. Tozer expressed another view. He said,
"Real faith is not the stuff dreams are made of. Rather, real
faith is tough, practical and totally realistic. Faith sees the
invisible; but it doesn't see the non-existent."
People who are dedicated to discovery and logic and reason will
find God in truth.

Our country's constitution is based on truth. Let's honor it.

III. FINALLY, WE CAN SEEK GOD THROUGH GOODNESS.

The Scripture says, "They worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD,
saying, "He is good; his love endures forever." (II Chron. 7:3b);

"May your saints rejoice in your goodness. " (II Chron. 6:41b).

The goodness of God includes love and mercy and kindness. Many
people have made this world a better place. There are fathers
and mothers who sacrifice for their children. There are heroes
and martyrs who endure hardships for their nation. There are
scientists and doctors and teachers and missionaries who live
their lives for others. Aimless matter cannot explain their
selflessness. A.M. Hunter wrote: "The return of evil for good
is Satan's way. The return of good for good is man's way. The
return of good for evil is God's way."

Psychiatrists say one of the first indications that a mentally
ill person is recovering is when he begins to show concern and
compassion for other people.

God is goodness. The Psalmist said, "Surely God is good to
Israel, to those who are pure in heart" (Psa. 73:1);

"You who minister in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the
house of our God, Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good . . ."
(Psa. 135:2-3).

The poet John Bagle O'Reilly wrote:

"What is the real good?"
I asked in musing mood.

"Order, said the law court;
Knowledge, said the school;
Truth, said the wise man;
Pleasure, said the fool;

Love, said the maiden;
Beauty, said the page;
Freedom, said the dreamer;
Home, said the sage;

Fame, said the soldier;
Equity, the seer."
Spake my heart full sadly;
"The answer is not here."

Then, within my bosom
Softly this I heard:
"Each heart holds the secret;
Kindness is the word."

People who are drawn to service and ministry and concern for
others will find God in goodness. Our country's civil rights
concerns and generous foreign aid shows our goodness. Let's
appreciate it.

Yes, the Scripture says, "If . . . you seek the LORD your God,
you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and
with all your soul" (Deut. 4:29).

In fact, Graham Greene says, "He who seeks God has already found
Him."

Jesus clarified this when he said, "God is spirit, and his
worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

So we shouldn't expect to find God sitting on a throne or
floating on a cloud. Instead, we will only find God in
Spiritual things. We must seek God in the beauty of His world;
in the truth of His word; and in the goodness of his followers.

****

(WordCount1322)

These messages are from an unpublished manuscript © copyrighted
by Miles and Maralene Wesner, Idabel, OK. Please use them in
any way you think appropriate. The only thing we ask is that

My ministry has been blessed immeasurably by reading other
people's sermons. When I started preaching 54 years ago, I
waited for "inspiration" before I began my sermon preparation
(usually Saturday night, about midnight). Then, I discovered it
wasn't inspiration at all-it was sheer PANIC. I would have
welcomed this service.

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your comments to appear in New Perspectives).

Miles E. Wesner