The prayer of faith is a one-time prayer where you receive when you pray and then never pray the same way about it again. But there are other kinds of prayer that you pray more than once. Diligent, consistent prayer is definitely in the Bible. Seeking God and the things we need from God are also in the Bible.
Seeking God
Seek – to make search or enquiry for; look for; ask for; strive to attain.
Seeking involves diligent action.
Where is the time and effort of your life going? Where is your attention and thought (Isaiah 55:1-3). What do you do when you have extra time? These things are indications of what you are seeking.
Seeking God involves prayer.
Matthew 7:7-8 (Amplified Bible) – Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened.
Notice this verse says to seek and keep on seeking and ask and keep on asking.
Seeking God involves study of the Word and application of what you find.
Seeking involves separation.
Ezra 6:20-21 – For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they killed the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their brother priests, and for themselves. It was eaten by the Israelites who had returned from exile and by all who had joined them and separated themselves from the pollutions of the peoples of the land to seek the Lord, the God of Israel.
When in trouble, where do you go? (Hezekiah – 2 Kings 18:5; 20:1-2 vs. Asa – 2 Chronicles 16:7-14)
Isaiah 31:1-3 – Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses and trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they look not to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek and consult the Lord! And yet He is wise and brings calamity and does not retract His words; He will arise against the house (the whole race) of evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses are flesh and not spirit; and when the Lord stretches out His hand, both [Egypt] who helps will stumble, and [Judah] who is helped will fall, and they will all perish and be consumed together.
When in trouble – YOU pray!
James 5:13 – Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray. Is anyone glad at heart? He should sing praise [to God].
There are times when you can go to others for help and prayer, but in the long run, God expects you to learn to pray for yourself and to come to the place where you not only pray for yourself but also for others.
Seeking involves turning from your ways to God’s.
Isaiah 55:6-7 – Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
Turn from sin and give attention to the truth.
Daniel 9:13 – As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth.
Hebrews 11: 6 – He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. (Matthew 6:6-8; Mal 3:16-18)
Luke 18:1-8; 35-38 – Continue persistently until you receive your answer (Isaiah 62:2,6-7).
True seeking is diligent and whole-hearted and brings CERTAIN RESULTS
Deuteronomy 4:29-31 – But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.
Jeremiah 29:12-14 – Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.
Psalm 63:1-2 – O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.
Psalm 77:1-2 – My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; My voice rises to God, and He will hear me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; My soul refused to be comforted.
Psalm 55:16-18 – As for me, I shall call upon God, And the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, And He will hear my voice. He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me, For they are many who strive with me.
How long do you seek?
- Hosea 10:12 – Until He comes.
- 2 Chronicles 26:5 – As long as he sought God, he prospered.
- Isaiah 62:1-2, 6-7 – Seek until He fulfills His promises.
What happens when you diligently seek the Lord? Take a look at some experiences I have had and scriptures to back them.
