Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually!
Psalm 105:4

When my wife, Lari, and I started dating, it completely changed my life for the good. She was a student at Winthrop University, and I was a student at the University of South Carolina. I burned up the road from Columbia to Rock Hill, SC once a week and sometimes twice just to see her. Of course, I knew the I first met her when she was seven years old that she would one day be my wife. I just had to convince her of that. And yes, it took 13 years to do it. She finally relented and married me.

What I want you to grasp is that I would do nearly anything to see her. I never dreaded driving those 80 miles. The anticipation of seeing her made those miles go by quickly. I drove to her house, parked in the back parking lot, and she almost always came outside and greeted me. This was my routine for a whole year. Her smile and kindness to me fluttered my heart. I was in love, and being in her presence made everything perfect.

Seek the Lord’s Strength

There is no doubt that the Lord is strong. I don’t believe anyone would argue with that. He is infinitely strong. Why do you think the psalmist would encourage us to seek His strength? To seek someone else’s strength means that we need to recognize the insufficiency of our strength. I’m not going to lie. This isn’t easy. We are taught from an early age to be self-sufficient and handle things on our own. But, people who follow Christ are different. They rely on His strength and not their own.

Our insufficiency is not a bad thing. It is part of the process of expressing humility before the Lord. The idea of seeking means to seek the Lord intensely. Imagine losing something valuable to you like a wedding ring or an expensive heirloom. You would tear your house apart looking for that most precious item. That is the idea or seeking here in Psalm 105.

We seek the Lord’s infinite strength because we value it above our own and recognize our need.

Seek the Lord’s Presence

We need to seek the Lord’s presence continually. When I drove 80 miles to Rock Hill, it was because I sought Lari’s presence continually. It is the same with the Lord. Ask yourself this question. To what extent would you go to seek the Lord’s presence? What things in your “closet” would you have to clean out to make room for the Lord’s presence continually? I think it’s a fair and pointed question for us all to contemplate.

The Lord’s presence provides so much benefit for us, and most of us don’t even realize it. The Lord’s presence offers a sweet and calm assurance during those tornadic winds that sometimes blow through marriages and friendships. His presence gives us strength when our’s is completely gone. When we are at that tipping point and ready to give up, the Lord’s presence gives us hope.

I want to challenge you to slow down, take some deserved alone time, and intensely seek the Lord today. Maybe you need to spend time in prayer. Perhaps you need to read Scripture. Today could be the day you begin journaling about what the Lord tells you through His word.

Lari’s presence was enough for me. You know how it is when you’re dating someone. We didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything. Just being in her presence alone made everything breathtakingly perfect. It’s even better with the Lord.

Seek Him diligently, and He will fill your days with His strength, compassion, comfort, and excitement (Psalm 37:4).