Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Psalm 105:4 ESV
I have been coming across some gems of late in the Psalms and want to share one with you. But before I do, I want to share a little bit regarding how the Spirit of God uses the written Word in our lives, and to make sure we are allowing Him to really direct where the Word is taking us. Let me explain…
It is very common for me to read the Bible, even large chunks of it, and not receive clear direction from it. Certainly, I am learning things or am reminded of some wonderful truths, but nothing is “gripping” me. But at some point, as I read along, I will come to a verse or a series of verses that does “grip” me.
What do I mean when I say a verse “grips” me?
It is simply how I describe the phenomenon when the Spirit of God tells me to stop here and not go any further until you let this truth get down into your heart. The Spirit does not literally say, “stop here”, but it’s as if I am stopped in my tracks, and all the other verses on the page fade into the background, and the sole focus is on that one verse(s). It’s like a trailblaze onto another trail that takes me on a journey to other connected verses and teaches me a bigger picture regarding my own life or something the Lord wants me to teach. When this happens, it certainly doesn’t mean the other verses are unimportant or uninspired, but in that moment, the Spirit of God, in His wisdom, is saying, “This is what you need.” Or, it could be what someone else needs if you are in a position to help them. This is the Spirit of God bearing witness to the Word, and it is how our faith grows.
Perhaps some of you are saying, “I want to be gripped like that”. Well then, my admonition to you is simple… Read your Bible. The Spirit cannot “grip” you with a verse that gives you guidance, direction, and encouragement unless you give Him a chance! Every time you read your Bible, the possibility of the Spirit “gripping” you in this way is always there.
*Disclaimer on discerning this gripping. This gripping should produce exhortation, edification, and comfort, along with various characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit. If a verse grips you with fear and avoidance of God, that is not the Holy Spirit, but a counterfeit, unclean spirit. Resist it and cast it down.*
Now, sometimes a verse will keep a “grip” on me a little longer than other times, and the verse I am going to share with you did just that. What is that verse? Psalm 105:4
Psalm 105:4 ESV
Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!
Pretty simple, uh? But it gripped me, in particular the last part that instructs us to seek His presence CONTINUALLY! I mean, isn’t that the real end of our faith, both now and into eternity? We want to know Him and be with Him forever
John 17:3 ESV
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Why is His presence so important that we should seek it continually? Well, that answer lay in the first part of the verse, which tells us to seek the LORD and His strength. Are the LORD’s strength and His presence connected?
In 1 Kings 7, we have the record of King Solomon building the Temple according to the pattern the LORD showed King David. In verse 21, we see that two pillars (Ammudim 😀💪) were set up at the front of the Temple.
1 Kings 7:21 ESV
He set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the south and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz.
The pillar on the left, as one would walk into the Temple, was named Jachin, and the pillar on the right was named Boaz. Now, why is this significant? Well, where did the presence of God reside in those days? IN THE TEMPLE! And so you would have to walk in between these two pillars to come into the presence of God. But the amazing thing is the names of these pillars…
JACHIN:: literally means: He will establish
BOAZ:: literally means: In strength or In Him is strength
So what does this all add up to? These pillars were a constant reminder to those going into the presence of the LORD that He would establish and strengthen them. It gives us a beautiful picture, even for today, that when we seek the presence of the LORD continually, our expectation should be that He will establish and strengthen us.
Reader, what is your expectation when you seek to come into His presence? It’s worth an examination, because if that is not our expectation and faith, then we are not in agreement with what the LORD wants to do, and we will not receive the blessing. Really, the only way we can come boldly to His presence is in faith that he will establish and strengthen us.
Hebrews 4:16 KJV
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
What does this grace do?
Hebrews 13:9 ESV
Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.
The grace we find by coming boldly into His presence strengthens us. And this grace that strengthens us is the same grace we can give to others to help strengthen them. This is how the Kingdom works in these days and how the Body is instructed to flourish and edify itself in love. We all should be going to the Head, getting nourishment and strength in His presence, and then giving what we received to serve the Body.
Ephesians 4:16 KJV
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
As a spiritual leader in the Body of Messiah, I implore you to seek the LORD and His strength, seeking His presence continually. I type this exhortation with tears in my eyes because we desperately need a strong Body and we only have that when we have strong members. At Ammudim, our mission is to help God’s people be pillars of truth. That means we want to help people be strong, but we can only do so much… At some point, we each must go to the Father and come into His presence, which was bought for us with the blood of Yeshua, and receive His strength for ourselves. In His presence is fullness of joy, and the joy of the LORD is our strength! Amazing…
If no one has told you lately, let me remind you that you are accepted in the beloved. God has a plan and purpose for you, and He really cares about your journey. You are never alone. God will never leave you nor forsake you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and He is for you. I believe someone needed to hear that…
With love,
Ammudim Ministries is ready to produce more substantial written content that can be held, read, and shared among circles all over the country. We are really excited about this new venture as we know more eternal fruit and Biblical knowledge will spread through these resources.
Fayetteville, GA info@ammudim.org
