Seeking the Lord – An All Out Heart and Soul Effort

Deuteronomy 4:29 “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.”

Dear Kids,

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you exerted an all out, heart-and-soul effort to attain it? These kinds of goals are few and far between. They take a tremendous amount of time and effort. But seeking the Lord is a pursuit in which the reward is amazing!

An All Out Heart and Soul Effort

I daily get a laugh out of our German shepherd dog. Apache has a one-track mind. Each morning when I open the door to the kennel she follows the same routine. First, she darts out of the pen to take a quick run around the yard. Next, she gallops back and nuzzles her head on my leg to gain my attention and get some love. And after the head rub and affirmation she sets her sights on the fields.

As soon as she hears the bajeep bajeep of a nervous killdeer swooping low over the field to distract intruders from her babies, Apache is off! In seconds she hits the ground running at a good 35 miles per hour (I know; I clocked her in the car once). Ears pasted against her head, body tense, and legs stretched out, she gives every ounce of strength to the chase as she fades into a black and tan speck against the brown soil. Soon the bird swings around and heads back to her nest. Apache also navigates a wide arc and barrels towards home without losing any speed. The blur becomes clearer and clearer to me the closer she comes. Exhausted she collapses onto the porch. She hasn’t caught any killdeers yet, but I know she’ll give it an all out effort again tomorrow.

Seeking the Lord is what God wants

Apache knows what she wants and day after day she goes after it with everything she’s got. This kind of effort is how we should be seeking the Lord.

Moses, the famous Israelite leader, urged the Israelites to fear the Lord, walk in His ways, and seek Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Moses understood the fickleness of the children of Israel and warned them to put God first. He knew they would wander away from God and suffer great punishment because of it. But he assured them that they would find the Lord if only they searched for Him with all their heart.

The New Testament writers, likewise, encourage us to seek the Lord wholeheartedly. Matthew and Luke reiterate Moses’ instruction to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The Apostle Paul declared, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted a loss for the sake of Christ.” Paul wanted to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection more than anything else. He desired it so badly that he gave an all out, heart-and-soul effort to the endeavor. This pursuit eventually cost him his life. But Paul would be the first to tell you of the eternal rewards. He knew Christ was worth more than anything and that to die was gain.

Seek the Lord and You Will Find Him

What kind of effort are you willing to give in order to develop a meaningful relationship with the Lord? Apache gives her all to catch a mere killdeer. Should we not have this same kind of determination for a much better goal? The best part is our efforts will never be in vain. God promises that when we are seeking the Lord diligently, we will find Him. Now, that’s a desire worth an all out, heart-and-soul effort.

Love,
Mama