As I look back at 50 years of ministry, I’m so amazed by what God has taught me and allowed me to teach others. So many lives have been changed by His Word, and I can never express just how grateful I am. So, in honor of 50 years of ministry—50 years of watching God astound us with His goodness!—I would like to share this “classic” article that I wrote years ago:
I want you to see a scripture that has been instrumental in my journey to wholeness. It’s Psalm 27:4, and it says: One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life… (AMPC).
I can truly say the greatest lesson I’ve ever learned is the importance of keeping God first in my life. For years I only really sought God when I was desperate and had an emergency. I’ll never forget one day as I was crying out for His help, He clearly spoke to my heart and said, “Joyce, if you would seek Me like you are desperate all of the time, you wouldn’t have so many desperate circumstances.”
That got my attention! The truth is, we’re really desperate for God all of the time, whether we realize it or not. I’ve discovered that when we have God Himself, we have everything we will ever need. It’s all about learning to seek God’s face—seeking Him for His presence and who He is—and not simply for what He can do for us.
The word seek means to crave, pursue, or go after something with all of your might—it means to require something as a vital necessity in your life. The question is, “What are you seeking? What do you consider to be a vital necessity?” In other words, what do you think you absolutely have to have in life?
Most of us start our relationship with God when our lives are in a mess, and we come to Him because we recognize that He’s the only One who can help us get out of it. When I got serious about my relationship with God and started studying His Word, I had so many issues that I couldn’t even count them all. At times, I wondered if I would ever be able to get free.
I know what it’s like to hurt so badly that I didn’t think I could go forward any longer unless something changed. I think we all come to this place at one time or another. In these moments when we can’t see a way out, what we really need is more of God. It’s time to run to Him and say, “God, I don’t know what to do, and I can’t go on unless I have more of You.”
I encourage you to begin making God a priority in your day. Take some time to read His Word, talk to Him in prayer, or even simply sit quietly in His presence. If possible, take at least a few minutes in the morning to focus on Him before you get caught up in the busyness of your day.
Every moment we spend seeking God is worth it. Spending time with Him brings us peace, joy, stability, guidance, and everything we need to live an enjoyable, fulfilling life.
I love Matthew 6:33. It says, Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need (NLT).
We so often go about it backward—we get so focused on our own needs and everything that needs to be fixed in our own lives. But God’s ways are not our ways! The Lord says when we seek after Him and make Him our priority, then He will take care of the rest and provide us with everything we need.
This may sound strange, but coming to a place of complete dependence on God is one of the greatest places you can ever be. Because when you have nowhere else to turn and you’re crying out to God for help, that’s when you receive the best gift of all—more of Him.
