PSALM 27:8 – You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”

THEME OF THE DAY. THE WAY TO JOY AND CONTENTMENT. Everyone wants to experience joy and heart contentment. Everyone longs for these inward realities in the core of our being. And that is because we are wired for it. God created us to know joy and contentment. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve enjoyed both, but then sin came into the world. Their disobedience destroyed their capacity to know true joy and contentment. Oh, it didn’t destroy the desire for them. When they sinned, the longing for joy and contentment remained in them. They sought, and every human being since seeks, joy and contentment in all the wrong places; entertainment, wealth, recreation, human relationships, drugs, alcohol, sex, prestige, accomplishments, education, vocations, career, family, and I am sure a lot of other vain pursuits. To get a really good understanding of the misery of attempting to find joy and contentment in worldly pursuits, read the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. In this book, King Solomon with great detail and transparency will warn us of the folly and foolishness in attempting to find in the world only what God provides. So, with the inward yearning for joy and contentment, let’s look at today’s scripture for it sets us on the path to obtain and maintain both.

First, the way to joy and contentment is found in obeying God. We were not only wired for joy and contentment, but for obedience to our Creator as well. The Psalmist starts out with God telling us, “Seek my face.” It is a command. And when it comes to rightly understanding salvation and living the Christian life, it is summarized in one word – obedience. What caused the human race to be plunged into misery? Disobedience. What causes a life of dissatisfaction and discontentment? Disobedience. What keeps us separated from God and unable to enjoy Him? Disobedience. Well, the opposite will be true. What leads to joy in the Lord and being contented in life no matter our circumstances or situations? Obedience. Here is another reading assignment. Take time and work our way through Psalm 119 and notice how excited and satisfied the Psalmist is over his love and obedience to God’s Word. If we want joy and contentment, then obeying God is to be the highest priority in our lives.

The next way to joy and contentment is found in seeking God. Again, we read from the Psalmist, “My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.” Not only are we wired for joy, contentment, and obedience to God, but we are created to know Him, love Him, adore Him, worship Him, and serve Him. And He has ordained three ways this occurs; diligence in His Word, fervency in prayer, and fellowship with His people in His church. Spiritual joy and contentment is found in Christ alone and Christ is revealed in scripture alone; scripture that drives our prayer lives and directs our life-on-life fellowship with other Christ-seeking people.

So, do we want joy and contentment? Of course. We were created for both and God will satisfy both through His Son. It all depends on two things; our passionate obedience to His commands, and our relentless pursuit of knowing Him through His Word, prayer, and people.

PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for giving me the soul-satisfying command to seek Your face.”

QUOTE: “We were created to pursue God to be satisfied by God and that is the only true satisfaction a human will know”