How to Search Earnestly for God (Psalm 78:34-35) - Your Daily Bible Verse - October 22
BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: And they returned and sought earnestly for God. Then they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer. Psalm 78:34-35
How to Search Earnestly for God
by Jennifer Waddle
Millions of Christians, all over the world, would give anything to have the religious freedoms we have in America. Not only to hold the Living Word in their hands, but to read and share it freely, would be like winning the lottery to them.
Here, in our westernized culture, with Bibles gathering dust on bookshelves, and Bible apps stored away on our phones, I’m afraid we’ve lost our fervor for the precious and holy Word of God.
Meet Earnest—also known as eagerness and wholeheartedness—a forgotten virtue of the Christian faith. The earnestness to get up each day and meet with God in worship has been replaced by to-do lists and agendas. An earnestness to share the Gospel within our circle of influence has been hindered by tolerance and complacency.
I am writing these things to myself as well, sadly realizing how much earnestness has escaped my busy, daily life; how the zeal I once had for Christ has been overshadowed by worldly desires and restless temptations.
But now, more than ever before, we have an amazing opportunity to rekindle an earnestness for the Word of God; to read and to study, to share and uphold, and to shine the light of God’s truths in dark places. For the Word of God truly is living and active, able to penetrate the deepest intents of the heart.
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Meet Earnest—the attribute that ushers in an excitement for the things of God—and rekindles our tiny flame of faith into a raging fire of conviction and motivation.
My prayer for Christians everywhere, is that we will awaken anew to the life-giving truths of the Bible and yearn for them as for daily bread. I ask, in the precious name of Jesus, that we will pick up that Bible, dust it off, and open it as often as we can. I ask for the Holy Spirit to continue His work in us to reach a hurting and confused world, with the only absolute truth there is. And, lastly, I pray for an earnestness, to once again declare God’s Word—a lamp for our feet and light for our path. (Psalm 119:105)
Related Resource: Praying Through Psalms 60: Victory in Hopeless Ground
What do you do when the battlefield stretches in every direction, and it looks like God Himself brought the defeat?
Join Jaime on the Praying Christian Women Podcast for a devotional on Psalm 60 — a raw, honest lament born out of being surrounded on all sides, where David dares to say You did this, God — and still picks up the banner and calls Him Lord.
Jaime unpacks the historical backdrop of David fighting enemies to the north, east, and south all at once, and shares a breathtaking story from her years near Death Valley — where barren, salt-crusted flats that look permanently dead suddenly erupted into a once-in-a-century bloom of purple wildflowers. Sometimes the victory is already buried right beneath the most hopeless-looking ground, waiting for God's rain to bring it to life. If this episode helps you navigate life with prayer and intention, be sure to follow Praying Christian Women on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
