When we think of the word prioritize, what comes to our mind? To some it means organizing and planning. It can also mean giving something top priority above everything else. How can we relate this to the Lord? When it comes to the Lord, He wants us to prioritize Him above everything else (Matthew 6:33). How do we give the Lord this level of importance? Keep following along as we discuss how to do so!
Jeremiah 29:13 states “And you will seek me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” To give a backstory of this verse, let us dig into the chapter itself. Since Israel did not turn back to God, God sent the Babylonians to capture Jerusalem and take the people as captives to Babylon. Jeremiah wrote a letter to the captives saying that God will deliver them one day from captivity. He also included that if they seek the Lord, He will answer them in time of trouble.
With this in mind, how do we seek the Lord? When we are seeking something, we will give all of our time and energy until we find what we are looking for. When we have found what we are looking for, we will rejoice because we have found what was lost or missing. We must have this same attitude toward the Lord. What does it mean to seek Him?
We seek the Lord when we spend time with Him. This includes prayer, church, and studying the Bible. However, the amount of time we spend seeking depends on the attitude of our heart. If we love the Lord, we will want to spend time with Him, no matter how busy our life can be. We constantly need guidance and direction to ensure we are living a holy life. Even Jesus took time to pray and communicate with the Father.
If your time with the Lord is not where you want it to be, it is not too late to develop habits to ensure you are spending time with Him. Some of these habits can include getting up early to read your Bible, or having a set time for prayer. While it is good to make time for Him, we must also desire to spend time with Him. If there is no desire, He cannot fully work in your life. He wants you to come with a heart that is fully seeking Him. If your desire is not strong, ask for help and continue to make time for Him regardless. When we allow the enemy to take this time away from us, he grows stronger and we become spiritually weak. We need strength from the Lord to fight against the enemy.
When we prioritize for the Lord, He will draw near to us and give us exactly what we need whether it is strength or a word of encouragement. This comes when we are close in our relationship with the Lord. Our relationship with the Lord should come first before everything since He is the everlasting God who is worthy of all the praise and honor we could give Him. He promises that when we do so, He will take care of everything we need, all we have to do is ask. A time that is spent with the Lord is never wasted but fulfilling since He promises to help us when we call upon Him.
Thought for the week: How much do you spend time with the Lord? What can you do to improve your time with Him?