Aug. 17, 2025

To get us to start thinking today, I want to start with some big questions.  Was seeking after God modeled for you growing up?  Was it normal for you to see the adult in your home put God’s kingdom first?  Was it normal in your home to see your Mom and Dad pray, read scripture, that led to becoming emotionally and spiritually healthy?  Did your parents prioritize God and the church?  That’s where we go today, we will get back to those questions.

Let’s jump into Daniel.

Daniel 9:2 I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. ESV

Daniel is now 85 years old.  He is reading what the prophet Jeremiah was told by God.  He read that Israel would be in captivity for 70 years.  This is great news because 70 years are almost up, and Daniel wants to go back home.  But Daniel also knows that Israel hasn’t turned back to God.  In fact, they are pushing God away.  Daniel feels the spiritual reality that his people, Israel, have rebelled, and they are a mess.  Daniel is overwhelmed at this moment.  He can’t make all of Israel turn back to God.  He is facing something too big for him to do.  So, what does Daniel do?

Last week we talked about that tension.  How do you live in a world that pushes God away?  It can be so painful to want others to experience God’s love, grace, and freedom.  Maybe the person who is pushing God away is your spouse, your adult kids, or your parents.  Unfortunately, there is no real solution that will take your pain away.  We said, you gotta be human, that means see your limitations and turn to God.  We said, God saves, it’s our job to love others where they are.  Lastly, we said, it’s probably going to hurt. 

Let’s keep reading to see what Daniel does.

Daniel 9:3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. ESV

Daniel turned his face to the Lord, seeking him in prayer.  Have you ever been in a conversation with a little kid?  If you ignore them, what do they sometimes do?  I remember our girls doing this.  They got really close.  They put their hands on my cheeks, and they physically turned my head so that I was looking at them.  They demand my attention.  Why?  Only then did they know I was focused on them.

What does Daniel do when he is overwhelmed?  Daniel goes after God.  Almost like trying to grab God’s face to say, ‘I’m in so much pain I need You now.’  Daniel is giving God his full attention.  Daniel is taking space and time and giving it to God.  This isn’t an afterthought.  This isn’t a quick prayer as he drives to Sheetz to get gas.  This is real.  It’s more like taking a half-day off from work to have more time to pray.   

It says this in the New American Standard.

Daniel 9:3 I gave my attention to the Lord God, to seek Him by prayer and pleading. NASB

Daniel gave his physical attention to God to seek after God.  To seek God means I go after, I explore, I chase, I pursue God.  That’s what Daniel is doing.  Why?  Because he is in pain, real pain.  This is all about needing God and being in a relationship with God.  

We pursue what we want.  Think about that for a second.  We pursue what we want.  Do you know why I pursued Karen?  I wanted to marry her.  I went after her.  I gave my attention to her. I chased her.  I brought her flowers.  I took her on dates.  I visited with her family.  I took her to a Broadway show.  And on and on.  Why would I do all that?  I was seeking after her.  That’s what Daniel is doing.  Daniel is seeking after God.  He is grabbing God’s face and turning it to do him to say, ‘I’m in so much pain, I need You now!’

I want to give you six verses about what God says when we seek after Him. 

Amos 5:4 This is what the Lord says to Israel: “Seek me and live.” NIV

Proverbs 8:17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. NIV

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. NIV

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. NIV

Matthew 6:33 Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. 21st Century King James Version

Seek after God first, His kingdom first, His righteousness first, and God will take care of the things you need.  The secret to the Christian life is seeking after God first.  God says, Make my priorities your priorities, and then I will care for you.  Don’t seek wealth, seek God.  Don’t seek fame, seek God.  Don’t seek pleasure, seek God.  What is God’s promise?  I will take care of you, I’ll add all these things to your life. 

How do you teach your kids and grandkids to seek first the kingdom of God?  Super simple.  You prioritize God’s kingdom.  You pray with them at home, live out what it means to be a disciple of Christ, and with your spiritual family at church.  God says, If I am in first place in your life, I will reward you.

How do we know this?

Hebrews 11:6 He rewards those who earnestly seek him. NIV

I have to slow down and ask you, was seeking after God modeled for you growing up?  Was it normal for you to see your Mom and Dad put God’s kingdom first?  Was it normal in your home to see your Mom and Dad pray, read scripture, and become emotionally and spiritually healthy?  Did they prioritize God and their spiritual family?

Sam and I were recently talking about people, choices, and the church.  This one issue has probably been one of our biggest challenges here at MRC.  Why?  Because when Jesus says, ‘Seek first the kingdom of God and I will take care of you,’ it doesn’t make sense.  It’s faith.  The math doesn’t add up.  It’s like Jesus doesn’t live in the real world. He doesn’t understand what we are facing.  He doesn’t get it.  We want to turn to Jesus and say, ‘But what about [fill in the blank: money, kids, success]?’

I think for many people, depending on how they were raised, this can be a challenge.  Sam and I were raised in homes where our parents were pastors and missionaries.  The idea of reprioritizing your life around God, the church, and the mission of God was normal.  That’s not really normal in the North American church today.  The priority today isn’t God, the church, or the mission of God.  What is more common today is trying to figure out how to find happiness without God or their spiritual family.  And because of it, people today are struggling.    

Do you see it or connect with this?  As people put God and their spiritual family in the background, they pursue what they want. Life becomes busier, harder, messier, and more complicated.  It leaves them feeling tired, insecure, and unsatisfied.  And all along, the offer from Jesus is real: ‘Seek first the kingdom of God.’  But the math doesn’t make sense.  Jesus sounds crazy.  So, we continue to do what we think makes sense.  We try to find happiness without God.  We work so hard.  We vacation hard.  We strive and struggle.  All along, God, the church, and the mission of God is forgotten.  And we continue to experience being tired, insecure, and unsatisfied.  When the pastors ask us to seek first the kingdom of God, we think they must be salesmen trying to manipulate us.  We think Jesus doesn’t get it.  Jesus looks at us and says, ‘No, you don’t get it, you don’t understand My kingdom.’  Seek first the kingdom of God, and I will take care of you.

I believe the greatest challenge you will ever face is super simple to overcome.  Ready?  Break your habits to pursue God.  This is the greatest challenge because we want comfort and routines.  It’s super simple to do because pursuing God isn’t hard.

This is why Peter wrote this in his letter.

1 Peter 1:13-16 So roll up your sleeves, get your head in the game, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” MSG

See those words, ‘Don’t lazily slip back into the old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing.’ 

I want you to think through this today.  You may not realize this, but a lot of the pain, difficulties, loneliness, pressure, the mess of relationships that we feel today, almost all of it can be because we didn’t seek God first.  We just lazily did what we felt like doing. 

Why are we struggling?  This may not apply to you, but because you didn’t ask God.  You didn’t seek His guidance, His wisdom, His help.  You didn’t ask God, ‘Should I buy this house or this car?’  ‘Should I date this person? Are they good for me?’  ‘Should I blow off church to go do all these other things?’  You just made a decision and moved on.  This causes so many problems in our lives.  Why?  When you ignore God, God backs off, allows us to experience the results of your decisions.  God doesn’t force your love or obedience.

Listen to what God says about us ignoring Him.

Hosea 5:15-6:1 I will abandon them and return to my home until they admit their guilt and look to me for help again, for as soon as trouble comes, they will search for me and say: “Come, let us return to the Lord; it is he who has torn us - he will heal us.” TLB

That’s all of us.  We try to figure out how we can live without God.  Then we run into dead ends and reach out to God. 

Listen to this quote.

“Nearly all that we call human history - money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery  - is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” -  C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Let’s walk through some questions.

Question 1: Are you in a bad spot today?  Do you need God to help you, rescue you? 

I’m so glad you are here. I have great news for you.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again. GNT

God wants to love you, forgive you, heal you, and lead you.  Maybe today is the day you make the biggest decision of your life.  Maybe today is when you fully give your life to God. 

Question 2: Was seeking after God modeled for you growing up?  If it wasn’t modeled for you, I want to read what Paul wrote.

Ephesians 4:23-24  Everything - and I do mean everything - connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life - a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. MSG

I want to talk to Dads for a second.  Did you know, when Dads come to Christ first, 93% of families will follow?  And when Mom comes to Christ first, 17% of families will follow?  Dads, please hear me. God has anointed you as the spiritual leader of your home, and you need to embrace that.  The greatest thing you can do in your life, raising your son or daughter, is allowing them to see you seek after God and watch you become emotionally and spiritually healthy. 

If seeking after God wasn’t modeled for you and you are looking for handles, we will be having a discipleship class to help this fall.  If you want help today, right now, please see me today. 

Question 3: Have you been a Christian for a long time, and you kinda checked out?  That means, you believe in God, but somewhere along the years, you never broke old habits and started new habits to pursue God.  If you were honest, you have slipped back into a comfortable way of living, just doing what you feel like doing because it is easier. 

Here is the danger you are in.  You can live out Christian principles and appear like a success to the world.  You know the right people, you know what to say, you know what to joke about, but I want to know, are you pursuing God? 

1 Samuel 16:7 The Lord said …I don’t make decisions the way you do! Men judge by outward appearance, but I look at a man’s thoughts and intentions. TLB

Today is your day.  Break your habits to pursue God today.

I want to close with this.  The secret to the Christian life is seeking after God.

Hebrews 11:6 He rewards those who earnestly seek him. NIV