Thinking About God

MEMORY VERSE: “God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.” —Psalm 53:2

PSALM 42:1-3

DAVID was “a man after God’s own heart,” meaning that at heart he desired always to be in harmony with God, and to know the joy of God’s rich blessings in his life. How beautifully the psalmist described this: “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”

This should be the earnest desire of every one who professes to serve the Lord, especially those of the present age who are following in the footsteps of Jesus, laying down their lives in sacrifice that they might prove worthy to live and reign with Christ in his thousand-year kingdom. These are bidden by Jesus to “seek first” the kingdom of heaven, in faith believing that their temporal needs are of secondary importance, and will be supplied by the Giver of every good and perfect gift.

The search for God has been characteristic of mankind in general in all ages. Anthropologists tell us that the earliest cultures on earth show that men have always attempted to establish contact with a power or powers in the universe beyond themselves.

PSALM 53:1, 2

There have been those throughout the centuries who have not shared the desire of the Lord’s people to know and serve God. Millions have said, “There is no God,” but the psalmist refers to these as having done abominably, and among them “there is none that doeth good.” Actually, even among those who are endeavoring faithfully to know and serve God there is none but the imperfect; but in this passage are described those who are not even trying to be in harmony with God, and who doubt his very existence.

PSALM 139:7

Those who by faith have found God realize that they cannot escape the sense of his presence, for they see and appreciate him in all the experiences of life, and in all with which they are surrounded. “Wither shall I go from thy Spirit?” asked the psalmist, “or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” He enlarges on this thought:

“If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” (Ps. 139:8-10) This, of course, is symbolic language, but it denotes clearly the psalmist’s firm conviction that God would be with him and bless him in all his ways. He also expresses his hope in the resurrection of the dead: “If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” “Hell” here is a translation of the Hebrew word “sheol,” meaning “the state of death.” God has not been in a state of death, but he has power over death, and will deliver death’s prisoners in the resurrection; thus even in death the psalmist would not be beyond the tender mercies of God.

ACTS 17:22, 23

Paul’s sermon on Mars’ hill, in which he referred to the “unknown God” of the Athenians is a reminder that men have reached out for God through many different means. The majority of them, indeed, have not as yet found the true God of the Bible, who so loved the world of mankind that he sent his Son to redeem them.

The “unknown God” of the Athenians remains unknown to the vast majority of mankind even to this day, but we rejoice to realize that a time is coming, and soon, when he will reveal himself to his earthly creatures, and that then the knowledge of his glory will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Meanwhile God is mindful of the efforts of his human creatures to find and serve him. He is able to read the heart of all, and knows from the heart condition those who are suitable to be enlightened and used in his service at the present time.

QUESTIONS

Do all who seek after God in this present age find him?

What did the psalmist mean by God being “in hell”?

Is the true God of the Bible still “unknown” to the majority of the people?

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