Devotional - 6/4/02
“The Passionate Pursuing of Your Lord”
King David was about to die. His dream of dreams -- to build a permanent Temple in Jerusalem -- was not to be. God had told him that because he had been a man of war, he would not be allowed to complete the task.
Discouraged but dedicated, David then amassed a huge stockpile of materials to build the temple and prepared to entrust them to his son, Solomon. Around the time of his death, he brought Solomon to his side and charged him to build this grand structure, describing it in meticulous detail. (If you're into architecture, the detail can be found in I Chronicles 22 and 28, and the description of the completed building is in I Kings 6.)
After all this, David left his son with one last assignment. In my mind, it made the blueprints for a grand Temple pale in comparison. He said, "Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God." (I Chr. 22;19a) This command is tucked away in the middle of David's speech and many people overlook it. But when I was reading the passage yesterday, these words leapt off the page and seared themselves into my heart.
Think about it. David's vision -- some would even call it an obsession -- was to build this Temple. But David knew that no plans of man would succeed in God's eyes if the planner wasn't even more devoted to the Lord HIMSELF.
I studied the Hebrew words in this verse yesterday, and it was fascinating. The Hebrew word for "devote" literally means to "set," or decide." The idea is that seeking after God isn't automatic -- it is a decision. The word for "heart" means "center," and the word for "soul" means "breath." "Seeking" means "pursuing," like chasing after an animal on the hunt. So an amplified translation of this verse would be:
"Decide to make the very core of your being, and every breath you take, the passionate pursuing of your Lord."
These are not light words. I'm beginning to see worship not just as a time to sing a few platitudes to God. It is a chance for me to crack open a window and pull in a deep breath of the fresh air of God. It is an opportunity for me to dig deep into the center of my existence and find Him there.
This takes dedication and persistence. I must decide to do it, even when I don't feel like it, and sometimes I must extend my reach toward Him with my last ounce of strength. This is what "passionate spirituality" means for me. It's not about "romance," those ushy-gushy feelings that fade away when the next infatuation comes along. It's about the burning desire that comes when we have worked so long and hard at getting to know God that our devotion to Him becomes etched into the very granite of our character.
Let's take these words seriously. Let's work on it together and get passionate about Him. Let's delve deep into our hearts, and breathe deep the breath of God.
- Dale Haas