Seek the Lord while He may be found.

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

King Solomon had built a glorious Temple where all the people of Israel gathered for the day of dedication.

"When Solomon finished praying fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple" (2 Chronicles 7:1).

I can only imagine being in the Temple surrounded by God’s fir. It is literally the “burning bush moment,’ of knowing God is with me and being overwhelmed with His presence. Have you ever had a moment where you knew you needed to humble yourself to God and seek his will and not your own? I sure have! I love how we are given God’s grace of repentance to seek Him in prayer and turn from our sins.  

This encounter teaches us what happens when a person gets right with God.

I went through a time in my life when I was not actively seeking God, living on my will, not his. What a disaster! Not until life became too difficult did I finally “seek” God through prayer and meditation and had my spiritual experience where I could no longer ignore God’s voice. Life has been such a gift to have a change of heart and mind where I can think differently, and turn my heart away from sin and towards God. 

What are you doing to change your life and seek God? It will not only impact you but those around you in a profound way! It’s worth it!

Dear Heavenly Father,

you have given us the opportunity to be redeemed. Thank you for allowing us to seek you with our whole heart and live the life you would have us to live. Amen. 

This devotional was written by Laura Burchfield and read by Sally Stovall.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.