Topical Bible: Seeking God: should Be with the Heart

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Seeking God is a central theme throughout the Bible, emphasizing the importance of pursuing a relationship with the Divine with sincerity and wholeheartedness. The Scriptures consistently highlight that seeking God should not be a mere outward ritual or obligation but a heartfelt endeavor that engages one's entire being.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible underscores the necessity of seeking God with the heart in numerous passages. In Deuteronomy 4:29 , Moses instructs the Israelites, "But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." This verse establishes the principle that a genuine search for God involves the totality of one's inner self, not just external actions.

Similarly, in Jeremiah 29:13 , God promises, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." This assurance from God highlights that the sincerity of the seeker is crucial in the pursuit of a divine encounter. The heart, in biblical terms, represents the core of a person's emotions, will, and intellect, indicating that seeking God requires a deep, personal commitment.

The Heart's Role in Seeking God

The heart's involvement in seeking God is further illustrated in the Psalms. Psalm 119:10 declares, "With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments." The psalmist's declaration reveals a passionate and intentional pursuit of God, rooted in a desire to live according to His will.

Moreover, Proverbs 3:5-6 advises, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." This passage connects the act of seeking God with trust and reliance on Him, emphasizing that a heart fully devoted to God is essential for guidance and wisdom.

New Testament Insights

The New Testament continues this theme, as seen in Jesus' teaching in Matthew 22:37 , where He states, "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’" This commandment, identified as the greatest, underscores that loving and seeking God are intertwined and must engage the heart fully.

In Acts 17:27 , Paul speaks to the Athenians about God's desire for humanity to seek Him, "so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." This passage suggests that God is accessible to those who earnestly seek Him, reinforcing the idea that the heart's genuine pursuit is met with divine presence.

Practical Implications

The call to seek God with the heart has practical implications for believers. It encourages a personal and intimate relationship with God, characterized by prayer, meditation on Scripture, and a lifestyle that reflects His commandments. It challenges individuals to examine their motives and ensure that their pursuit of God is not superficial but rooted in a deep desire to know and love Him.

In summary, the biblical mandate to seek God with the heart is a profound invitation to engage with the Creator in a meaningful and transformative way. It is a call to authenticity, devotion, and a life oriented towards the divine will.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you shall seek the LORD your God, you shall find him, if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Chronicles 22:19
Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build you the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Search that Always Finds
... The words express in simplest form what should be the ... seeking, the finding which
certainly crowns that seeking, and the rest which ensues on finding God. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the search that always finds.htm

Go Forth, O Ye Daughters of Zion, and Behold King Solomon with the ...
... of the Father, a day of eternal gladness of heart. ... spiritual, then, we must begin
by seeking God within, by ... Then our progress in God should be measured by our ...
//christianbookshelf.org/guyon/song of songs of solomon/11 go forth o ye.htm

Fenelon -- the Saints Converse with God
... The perfect heart is never weary of seeking God. ... If an innocent soul, devoted to
God, suffer from any secret disturbance, it should be humble, adore the ...
/.../various/the worlds great sermons vol 2/fenelon the saints converse.htm

Seeking Richly Rewarded
... good for me, and I am truly seeking God, I should ... God your Father is dealing with
you in perfect wisdom ... to cavil and question, yet, your faith should sit still ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 60 1914/seeking richly rewarded.htm

He Illustrates the Apostle's Saying, "I Will Destroy the Wisdom of ...
... the power of God, and the wisdom of God." Should we not ... ye put on the new man, which
after God is renewed ... good" (and to work is to labour in seeking the truth ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xviii he illustrates the apostles.htm

"But the End of all Things is at Hand, be Ye Therefore Sober and ...
... we consider this in three things, (1) In seeking of any ... The child of God should seek
as a rich man that is ... seek it as their portion, their heart and affections ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xx but the end.htm

A Means to Discern this Imperfect Love.
... diffidence should become so excessive, that we should seem to ... the Lord came upon
him: that is, God gave him ... the roaring lion which goeth about seeking whom he ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xi a means to.htm

A Knowledge of God
... Many are the ways in which God is seeking to make ... so will he who perseveringly searches
the word of God as for ... Never should the Bible be studied without prayer ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/steps to christ/chapter 10 a knowledge of.htm

The Privilege of Prayer
... them to present their daily needs before God, and to ... He gave them that their petitions
should be heard ... He became a suppliant, a petitioner, seeking from His ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/steps to christ/chapter 11 the privilege of.htm

The Entreaties of God
... good, than that God should plead, and I should steel my ... the divine voice that woos
us to love and to God. ... There are some of you that are seeking to drown it in ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/the entreaties of god.htm