The AMI QT Devotionals from March 26-April 1 are provided by Hee Jung Lee. Hee Jung, a graduate of Biblical Theological Seminary, serves at Catalyst Agape Church (New Jersey) along with her husband Pastor Sam Lee. They have four beautiful daughters.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
Expectant Pursuit
Mark 5:25-28
Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”
“It feels like I’m always chasing you, Lord,” I recently said to God in my prayer time, retrospectively recollecting on my constant pursuit to experience more of His power and presence. It’s not as if He has ever been farther than the breath on my lips, but without question, I have sought Him; and I continue to invest my heart to seeking after the Lord. I have relentlessly pursued Him in the private, and I have sought to encounter Him in the public.
One common fruit from all this pursuit has been that He never fails me. In fact, the Lord continues to surprise me with fresh encounters of Him—not all in the familiar ways—but in ways where the Lord breathes alive dormant truths that bring experiences as reality. This expectancy fuels the pursuit, the pursuit spawns expectancy, and the Lord responds to such a desperate desire for His touch.
Such was the case for the bleeding woman in Mark 5:28, where she says to herself, If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well. Deemed as incurable and having expended all her resources, she sees Jesus, the miracle healer walking amongst a travelling crowd; and her expectant pursuit for only a healing touch of His garment, heals her instantly. What a glorious moment where heaven met her, and the truth that God cares for her wellbeing became a realistic encounter!
This is the joy of our salvation, that we may continue to seek after the Lord and discover that the expectancy in our pursuit will not leave us disappointed. It is the desire of the Heavenly Father to unveil Himself to us, and allow all that He speaks of in His Word regarding Himself and us to be tangible truths for us to experience as reality. Challenge Him in this if you doubt, because He responds to our wholehearted desire for Him. He is worthy of such a pursuit!
So during this Passion Week, let us reflect on how our pursuit for the Lord may have become dry, diluted, or unbelieving. Let us make a fresh commitment to seek the Lord with eager expectancy, because the Lord is a great rewarder to those who diligently seek Him!
Prayer: Dear Father, you are worthy of all of me! You are my Father and I am your offspring. I have nothing worthwhile apart from you. I pray that you will breathe Your Spirit afresh on me. I want to be excited about all that has to do with You, and love You first with all of my heart. I want to experience Your Truths in my life. Thank you! Amen.
Lunch Break Study
Read Isaiah 55:6-7: Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
Questions to consider
- How does it look to you personally to pursue God wholeheartedly?
- Are there any disappointments you have that keeps you from believing to receive from God?
- What is one truth in God’s Word that you want to press in to experience more of or to experience as reality?
Notes
- The greater measure to which we set our hearts to know the Lord is the measure to which we will find Him. It’s important not to be dismayed, but His mercies are new everyday, and we can have a fresh pursuit each day, one day at a time.
- Unaddressed disappointments can root unbelief. It should not be left to fester but should address it by recognizing, taking responsibility for agreeing with lies, repenting for it, and removing the lies.
- Some examples of such truths may be that God is a healer, that God is generous, that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is in us, etc.
Bible Reading for today: Galatians 1
Evening Reflection
We started the day thinking about how we should have a wholehearted, expectant pursuit of God with our lives. In light of this reflection, did you find yourself seeking the Lord more?