Whole-Hearted Seeking

The boldness of this grand assertion strikes immediately and sharply.  If this were the statement of Joe down the pew, we would dismiss it as being overstatement and perhaps tinged with a bit of pride.  We would think that because it is our own condition.  We tend to project our own condition and motivations, etc., on others, thinking them similar to us.

Yet, we are forced to see that this cannot be the case in the instance before us.  The writer cannot be speaking from any human perspective or telling us anything that is anything but completely true!  There is no hint of correction or rebuke from God in the subsequent verses.  There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to take this to speak anything other than with complete candor!

That being said, we repeat the statement of amazement oat the boldness and challenge of the statement made before us.  The word means to seek with care or diligence.  Its end is often cognitive, that is, the “seeking” in view is toward the end of knowing.  It was used in verse 2 as a description of the blessed – as those who seek Him with the whole heart.  It is not coincidence that the same language is used here.

The writer tells us that he has, indeed, sought after God diligently, with his whole heart.  There is no pride in the assertion.  Nor is the writer seeking to establish any claim to blessedness.  The second part of the verse establishes for us that this is only the beginning of a plea for God’s continued aid.

This is the expression of the writer’s heart and gives meaning, more meaning to the first phrase in the verse.  It is not that he is asserting any merit on his part in order to win favor of God.  Rather, he is balancing the scales, so to speak.  In this verse we see both halves of the spiritual living equation.  On the one hand, the writer affirms that he has done his part – he has been faithful and submissive.  He has sought the Lord and he has done so with his whole heart and has been unreserved in his pursuit of God.  That all being said, he has come to the full knowledge and understanding that his best is not good enough.  He still needs God’s help.

This is an excellent statement of the truth that man’s best is simply not good enough.  The writer is not boasting nor is he misleading us – he has pursued God and done his best.  The conclusion he has reached is that his best is not sufficient – he needs God to supply what is needful to meet the standard.

It is an uncomfortable thing to even talk in these terms.  It smacks of Arminianism and of cooperation.  It seems as if we are saying that we get ourselves so far, and then God does the rest.  It is almost as if we are saying that God helps those who help themselves.  We have to do our part and then God will do the rest and the like.  This is not the point of the verse and we want to abhor any and all of that, and any such ideas.  The writer here is simply underscoring that we approach God genuinely.  We cannot be duplicitous, nor can we be disingenuous and expect anything from Him.

The fact of the matter is that this simply portrays an accurate picture of the heart of the believer.  He is not trying to defraud God, nor is he seeking to secure blessing for nothing.  Rather, he is living the life God has called him to live and on that basis is able to call upon God with a clear conscience and with full assurance of his right standing and of God’s willingness to bless.  God blesses those who seek Him (v.2) – the writer honestly has sought Him and so can be assured of God’s full willingness to bless.

It is not the obedience that secures the blessing, but the promise of God and His faithfulness to that promise made of His own will and recorded in His Word.  The basis for blessing in the goodness of God and His mercy, granted freely.  The writer knows this!

He has sought the Lord diligently yet, in spite of his faithfulness and his effort, he still needs the Lord to do a work on his behalf.  He is still prone to wander and his heart can still be wayward.  God must intervene and do that mighty work which will assure full obedience.

“Wander” translates a word that most often refers to sin done inadvertently.  This is the one thing the believer cannot guard himself against.  He cannot prevent the happenstance of sin.  Sin comes upon us all and we fall.  The writer here is merely giving us another form of the prayer the Lord gave to His disciples – “keep us or lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”  We need God’s help here as we never know what is down the road and around the next bend.  Only God can protect us from what we do not know is coming!

Still, there is no recourse to mysticism or to the vagaries of subjectivism.  The writer understands that even here the standard is the Word of God, not his intention.  It is not enough that he intends to keep it – but he must actually be true to the Word!  This can only ultimately come form the hand of God.