Unyielding Pursuit of God

“We must know the power of the voice of God before we can be cured of the power of the voice of the world.”
A. W. Tozer

“If you want to know God better, chase after him and chase hard. Run to the places where you know he is likely to show up.”
Chip Ingram

“My lifeline to God is obedience, reading the Bible, and prayer.” Billy Graham
“We must not only start, we must persevere.”
William Booth

“Just remain faithful. Rise and shine; let His glory fill you. Go forth in joy to see miracles as you serve the King.”
Chris Tomlin

“Let prayer be the key of the morning and the bolt at night.”
Charles Spurgeon

In our previous post, Seeking the Lord in Due Season, we addressed God’s call for us to ready the soil of our hearts so His righteousness may flourish within us and reign over every area of life. This includes breaking up the hardened, fallow ground of our hearts through repentance, confession, and humility; sowing seeds of righteousness by nurturing godly virtues and obedience; and passionately seeking God’s face, presence, and righteousness with absolute dependence. When we cultivate spiritual readiness in these ways, God promises to unleash righteousness into our lives like a fruitful downpour, sanctifying us from the inside-out. As our inner lives are transformed by the renewing work of His Spirit, we will bear righteous fruit that brings glory and joy to God. However, the cacophony of the modern world is deafening. From the incessant buzz of technology to the frenetic pace of life, stillness has become scarce and distraction abounds. More enticing than ever, wayward pursuits vie for our attention and aim to capture our devotion. Yet amid the noise, the call of Psalm 105:4 pierces through “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually!” This cry beckons all followers of Christ to realign focus towards passionate, unyielding pursuit of God Himself. Beyond seeking to utilize Him as a means to an end, God is calling His people to ascend the mountain of intimate communion with Him. He yearns for those created in His image to experience the unmatched joy of beholding His beauty, relying on His all-sufficiency, and treasuring His companionship above all else. Two thousand years removed from the psalmist’s initial invitation, the magnetism of this call has only amplified. Today still, through Scripture’s stirring pages, God places a choice before every believer: live defined by divine encounter through continual seeking, or settle for a powerless existence void of His manifest presence. How will you respond?

Seeking and Finding
Jesus promises that those who persistently seek Him will be rewarded with finding Him. As He said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8, ESV). God wishes to reveal Himself to those who seek with their whole hearts, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13, ESV). Thus sincere seekers can rest in the promise that Christ will disclose Himself to those who diligently pursue Him. The Hebrew word translated “seek” conveys the idea of seeking with care, diligence and persistence. It is much more than a casual interest, it is an all-consuming desire to know the Lord deeply. Two parallel commands in Psalm 105:4 strengthen the call to seek the Lord and His strength and to continually seek His presence. This indicates seeking is an action and an ongoing lifestyle.

Seeking His Strength
To seek His strength means to pursue the power, might and provision of God. It is seeking Him as an all-sufficient source of help, enabling and equipping to live the Christian life. Just as the Israelites relied on God’s strength to face enemies and trials in the wilderness, so Christians today must continually rely on divine power in the ups and downs of life. In addition to seeking God’s manifest presence, Psalm 105:4 exhorts followers of Christ to draw continually on the Lord’s power and might. Isaiah reminds believers of this inexhaustible well of strength available to those who rely wholly on God rather than self: “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:29-31, ESV). Even when human resources are completely spent, the power of Christ carries believers through. Paul discovered this principle firsthand, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV). Just as God strengthened the ancient Israelites to enter the Promised Land, so He wishes to infuse His people today with spiritual vitality to advance His Kingdom. Moses stood as a leader who relied completely on the Lord’s empowerment to fulfill his monumental calling. When God threatened to withdraw His presence, Moses pleaded, “If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here" (Exodus 33:15, ESV). His desperation for God’s presence demonstrates absolute dependence on the Lord’s strength and guidance to shepherd Israel. Moses sought the Lord’s direction at every major juncture, modeling how God wishes to lead those who acknowledge their inadequacy apart from His provision.

Seeking His Presence
In addition to His strength, Psalm 105:4 calls believers to seek God’s presence. This implies seeking His manifested nearness, intimacy, and fellowship. Christians have the astounding privilege of God’s indwelling presence through the Holy Spirit, yet sometimes fail to experience close communion with Him. As Erwin Lutzer said “Many Christians serve God without ever seeking His presence.” But Psalm 105:4 challenges complacency by calling all followers of Jesus to seek Him daily. David modeled an intense pursuit of knowing God deeply, especially seen in the raw honesty of the Psalms. His heart’s cry was to dwell in God’s presence continually, “One thing have I asked 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 gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple” (Psalm 27:4, ESV). Despite sin and hardship, David repeatedly sought restoration and renewal through seeking God’s face. His example inspires believers today to passionately seek richer communion with God.

Practicing His Presence
In addition to seeking the manifest nearness of Christ through spiritual disciplines, followers of Jesus must translate encounter into experience by practicing awareness of God’s presence continually. As James writes, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8, ESV). Abiding in Christ leads to the profound joy of making His presence an everyday reality: “In your presence there is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11, ESV). By continually walking in step with the Spirit, believers begin to mirror God’s own faithfulness. Seeking God’s presence is not a one-time experience with the Lord, but rather a continuous, lifelong pursuit. To seek His presence continually means persevering day in and day out. Even when God seems distant or prayers go unanswered, believers must not lose heart. Amy Carmichael said “The continual habit of seeking His presence creates within us an expectation that we shall meet Him and find Him.” Thus Psalm 105:4 challenges complacency and calls all Christians to constantly seek the Lord with persevering expectation. Paul’s letters blaze with an ambition to know Christ more deeply through identification with His sufferings and resurrection power. He considered everything loss compared to, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11, ESV). Though Paul experienced sweeping revelations of the risen Christ, he remained captive to relentlessly pursuing deeper intimacy with God until his dying day.

Implications for Believers
Psalm 105:4 makes it clear that authentically following God requires passionately pursuing Him. Intimacy with God is something that should be nurtured daily by disciples through spiritual disciplines like prayer, Bible study, and Christian fellowship. These habits and rhythms of grace help followers of Christ learn to abide in Him and seek His presence continually amid the demands of everyday life. In addition to cultivating personal intimacy with God, Psalm 105:4 also reminds believers that they should rely on divine strength for managing stress, resisting temptation, extending forgiveness and fulfilling their Kingdom calling. Human inability apart from Christ underscores the need to depend on His power and operate from a place of weakness, humility and surrender. Just as the ancient Israelites relied wholly on God’s might to face enemies and trials in the wilderness, so too must Christians today tap into divine empowerment to navigate the ups and downs of life. Finally, the call to seek the Lord spanning Psalm 105:4 is both an individual and corporate responsibility. Churches as communities of faith must foster and model an atmosphere where members can support one another in the common goal of passionate, lifelong pursuit of Christ and experiencing the transforming power of His nearness.

Scripture challenges superficial faith by calling believers to seek the Lord Himself, both His power and presence, with relentless perseverance. This results in dynamic transformation as Christians experience His strength and nearness. Two thousand years after it was written, this verse still resonates, with fresh relevance, demanding wholehearted pursuit of the living God. Dear Reader, God is calling you to an all-consuming pursuit of knowing Christ deeply, seeking His face, relying on His strength, and practicing His presence daily. While the forces of superficiality, distraction, and worldly pursuits vie for preeminence, choose to enthrone an insatiable appetite for Jesus through every season of life’s journey. Press on in seeking the Lord with perseverance and courage. Draw daily from the infinite resources of His strength and comfort. Wait with expectant hope for new glimpses of His glory and beauty. Allow nothing to supersede this sacred quest for communion with Christ. As you continually seek God’s power and presence, the transformational joy of finding Him awaits you. Lift your eyes in hope—the best is yet to come!