Day Eight "Gladness in Seeking the Lord"

“Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love your salvation say continually, ‘The Lord be magnified.’” [Ps. 40:16]

It might appear that spending our time seeking the Lord is done out of duty and drudgery. This is not the case. As you meditate on this scripture notice two results of seeking the Lord. The word “seek” means to search out, desire, strive after. For the person who truly does this, there will be rejoicing and gladness.

For the person who truly desires God and who strives after knowing Him, that person will rejoice or be cheerful and glad. In other words, they will be satisfied. Their satisfaction will not stop with themselves. There will be a yearning to testify to others about God’s great salvation continually.

The word “continually” means constantly, daily, regularly, and perpetually. Let’s look at the progression. People who truly want joy and gladness in their life make desiring and striving after God a priority. They experience the joy and gladness they have been looking for but they cannot hoard it for themselves. Over and over again they tell others about this great God who gives salvation rescuing souls from damnation and delivering from sin.

For such people they live to magnify the Lord. Or to put it another way, they live to advance God, lift God’s name, and to promote God to the world. That is revival. We know we have been revived when our love and passion for God turns into a burning desire to see others come to know Him as well. When we live day in and day out to promote God at work, play, in the community, and among family and friends we will not have to tell anyone we have been revived. Revival will be lived out in our lives.

Your passionate pursuit of God is for your ultimate good. God is the greatest source for joy and gladness. When you understand the great salvation you have been given by Him, you will want to know this God more. You will want others to experience the same salvation you have. You will long for others to know true joy and gladness that can only come from seeking God and being in a right relationship with Him.

Your seeking more of God not only turns out for your good but also for the good of those you love and care about. So, let me ask, are you glad and joyful? Have your other pursuits produced this for you? Do your other pursuits demand to be glorified and promoted through you? Don’t settle for lesser blessings when God is ultimately what we all need and are seeking.

Steps to Revival

1. What do you honestly desire and strive after? Do they produce joy and gladness in you?

2. What are living to promote and lift up? Is it a worthwhile endeavor? How will this benefit the people you love?

3. Do you truly love the salvation God has given you? Express that love to Him in these moments. You might sing to Him. Write Him a letter. You could write a poem. All that matters is you expressing how much you love Him and the salvation He gave you.