Diligently Seek After God

Then the Yahweh answered Job from the whirlwind. He Said: “Who is this who obscures My counsel with ignorant words? Get ready to answer Me like a man; when I question you, you will inform Me. Where were you when I established the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding” (Job 38:1-4)

Prayers in Pursuit of God
Part 5 of !1

The above passage is how our heavenly Father spoke to Job when Job thought to question God’s counsel, the bible tells us that these were the words of God as He appeared to Job as a whirlwind, which could be translated as a tornado or hurricane. Now imagine yourself in Job’s position not just finding yourself in the midst of a tornado, but having the angry voice of God come from this tornado and reprimand for his disrespect. (Job 38:1-4) To say this is scary would be an understatement.

When Abraham met God the bible tells us He appeared as a smoking furnace that came between the cut pieces of his sacrifice. Now nowhere in the bible does it tell us the condition but we can infer from the book of Daniel that a furnace is a place of great heat and danger. (Genesis 15:17) So you can imagine how fear stricken Abraham must have been at this appearance of God.

When God appeared Moses and the children of Israel He was a pillar of Fire (Exodus 13:21), when He in entered into the temple that Solomon built the bible tells us that His Shekinah Glory cloud was so great that no one, not even the priest could enter to minister to the people.(1Kings 8:11). Every time that God has every shown his presence to man he was absolutely terrifying. Yet we say we want to be in His presence. What we’re saying when we say we want to be in the presence of God is that we want to know and experience His glory and goodness personally. This has been a desire of man since the days of ancient. The bible tells us that even Moses, whom God said He spoke to as a man speaks to his friend, wanted a more personal relationship with God. (Exodus 33:11) So when Moses asked to see God’s face, (a euphemism for having a more personal relationship) God said no, “I’ll put you into the clef of the rock so you can’t see My face it would kill you, but you can see My hind parts! (Exodus 33:21-23) And the bible tells us the when Moses saw God’s hind parts his face was so bright that he had to put a veil over his face until the glory went away. The people of Israel could not even look at Moses because of the radiance that Moses received just because he looked at God’s hind parts. (Exodus 34:29)

Up until the moment that Yehoshua show up, whenever God reveal Himself it was absolutely terrifying. Sin had not been dealt with; therefore, when man came into the presence of God he came guilty of his sins. Now the bible teaches that “…Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin” (Hebrews 9:22). yet though they sacrificed animals, the blood of these animals only showed of what was to come in Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ). In fact Hebrews 10:4 tells us that it is impossible for animal sacrifice to remove sin. So once Yehoshua dealt with the issue of sin, the veils was ripped, that separation between man and his creator was done away with, and sin was legally able to be forgiven. The work of Yehoshua on the cross allowed us to be able to come into the presence of the Father without fear, knowing the cup (Matthew 26:42) which Yehoshua drank of at Golgotha was payment for our sins.

Can you imagine what Moses would say if he was here today, and he heard the message of the gospel, passages like John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Or John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Or if he heard the message of the Apostle Paul in 2Corinthian3:13-14 Moses, who put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look stedfastly on the end of that which was passing away, but their minds were hardened: for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth, it not being revealed to them that it is done away in Christ. Moses would say "This is the very thing I have been denied! Through Yehoshua HaMashiach you can know the Father personally; you can come into the majesty of His presence. Why is this not the driving force of you very life?"

When God revealed Himself in Jesus Christ He did not do so as a tornado, or pillar of fire he revealed himself as a child. Because cause a child is the most non-threatening of all we can know. But more so God did not reveal Himself as a child to all mankind, in Fact the priest and the scribes (devout church goers) and the lawyers (theologians) were not invited to this revelation. Those that were invited were those who were humble and low degree; shepherds outcast of society, and those who would endure to know Him; and magi, people completely without understanding of scripture. Is there any wonder that it was from these people that Jesus picked is twelve (12) disciples.

What the bible is telling us is that if we really want to be in the presence of God we must;

• Humble ourselves, in every walk of our lives and realize that there is nothing in us that makes us worthy of being in His presence, and only by the work of Yehoshua can we know Him personally.
• Diligently seek Him; not like Priest and Scribes who sought Him in books and theory; but as the Magi (wise men) who endeavored to travel for hundreds of miles to meet this King of Kings.
• We must make time for prayer, and for reading our bible and for worship daily. And if there is no time, we must make some time. Get up an hour early to be in His presence, or stay up an hour late. Diligently seek after God and He will reward you with a personal relationship with the creator of all there is.(Hebrews 11:6)

Let us pray;

• My God, my King and Creator, Hear the intent of my soul which cries out to You. As the deer panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. Guide me and direct me so that I may be in Your presence every day of my life. I desire to behold Your exceedingly great beauty and wisdom, to sit at Your feet in awesome wonder of Your majesty. In Jesus’ Name I pray Amen

by Soli Deo Gloria