whole hearted seeking

Scripture: Galatians 1:16b-17; When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being.[f] 17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

Observations: Paul did not get his theology from men; He got it by revelation from God. He could have gone to Jerusalem for a seminar with the apostles, but no, he went to the source. He went away into Arabia to seek God, hear from the Holy Spirit, and search the scriptures for landmarks pointing to Jesus. Walvoord says, “It is doubtful that he went there to evangelize but rather to be away from men and alone with the Lord for personal study, meditation, and to receive further revelation. This zealous student of the Law now pondered the meaning of his conversion and looked for the things concerning Christ in the Old Testament” (Bible Knowledge Commentary).

Application: I remember so clearly my intense longing and seeking for revelation and relationship with Christ. I was 20 years old, with a desperate and deep desire to be met and filled by Jesus. I had grown up in the faith, known Jesus my whole life, but never had a personal encounter. Life had left me disappointed and disillusioned. I was on my Yamaha 650, flying home on I-5, crying out to God, when I was hit by the joyful presence of the Holy Spirit. I had to stop and pull off to the side of the freeway because I became too overwhelmed to drive. I knew in that moment that Jesus loved me, and I felt His presence sweep over me for the first time. My longing heart opened me up to seeking Him and submitting to His will, as it says in Jeremiah 29:13; “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Nothing replaces personal revelation time with God. We are so blessed now to have the New Testament that contains the truth of the gospel. Paul didn’t have that, but he did have the Law and the Prophets to look back on. Now that Paul knew what he was looking for, and Jesus had fulfilled many of the prophesies about Messiah, Paul built his New Testament theology from what God revealed to him through his Word, and from his personal experience with the living Christ. Each of us need that personal revelation from God, and relationship with Him, found only by seeking Him with our whole heart.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You that when we seek you with our whole heart, we will find you.