Seeking the Lord is life-changing as we pursue the Lord while He is drawing us to Himself. As Jesus began his ministry, Nicodemus humbly sought out Jesus with an open heart. John 3:1There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening; he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” [1]
When we seek the Lord, we respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit because no one seeks the Lord alone. It may seem that you are seeking the Lord on your own, but this is not what the Bible tells us. John 6:44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.”[2]
Seeking the Lord is All About the Heart
A person’s heart can be open to the Lord or closed as an act of free will. Our heart is like a garden; when we don’t ask the Lord to forgive us regularly, our hearts become hard over time, and the Lord’s voice becomes distant. When our hearts are open to the Lord, His Holy Spirit can awaken our need for a Savior.
Long before Nicodemus encountered Jesus, the Lord was at work in His heart, helping Him unfold the plans He had for him. Nicodemus knew there was something special about Jesus, and the miracles He performed testified to that. Nicodemus had to humble himself to come to Jesus. Often, pride keeps us from coming to Jesus.
In addition to our pride, our enemy, satan, works to blind and hinder people from seeking the Lord. We don’t know the spiritual battle Nicodemus was in as he came to Jesus, but we know His life would never be the same. After Jesus died on the cross for our sins, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took His body to the tomb, where they anointed Him and wrapped Him in a burial cloth. Nicodemus may have come to Jesus when it was dark, but at the cross, he boldly carried the body of Jesus.
Seeking the Lord First
Something about seeking out the Lord and encountering Him changes our priorities. Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. [3] When we seek the Lord first in life, and He is our highest priority, this becomes the foundation on which we build our faith.
With a strong foundation, every decision is based on our relationship with the Lord as we look to Him for guidance and direction. Nicodemus’s life unfolded in a way that probably surprised him in a good way. Our lives will also change as we continually seek the Lord along our journey of faith. To learn more about seeking the Lord, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/jesus-and-nicodemus
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.