Do you remember the joy, the excitement, the anticipation and the many other emotions you experienced when you went out on your first date?  I recall them very well.  I was 16 years old and in my excitement, I took the longest shower of my life, I put on my best clothes, and I even borrowed my brother’s red sports car.  All of this was done, of course, to make an excellent first impression.  I arrived at the young lady’s house a bit early, and I was in awe to see her make her way down the steps. I still remember what she was wearing: blue jeans and a yellow shirt.  Her hair was long and flowing, and she looked even more beautiful on that day than the day when we first met.

     As she got into the car she asked, “Is this your car?” Reluctantly, I responded, “no”, and I wondered if my “no” answer would lessen the impression I was trying to make. Like most first dates, the conversation was awkward and limited. But I did not care one bit.  I was determined to make the most of this date.

     We finally arrived at the movie theater, ordered our refreshments and took our seats. Initially, I was very pleased with the movie that I had selected, but after a few minutes I realized that this was probably the worst movie I had ever seen.  “Oh no,” I thought, “how is this going to affect the impression I’m trying to make on this young lady?” Well, she agreed the movie was terrible, so we decided to go to dinner.

     As we made our way to the restaurant, it began to rain.  I was walking in behind her, but on my way in, the unimaginable happened.  I fell! “This is it,” I thought, “she’ll never want to see a klutz like me again.”  I had a strange feeling that I was about to make the most unimpressionable first impression in history. I quickly picked myself up and looked around me. I was looking to see who was looking, but no one saw me.

     There I stood, my pants and shirt were wet from the puddles of water I had fallen in and my date was walking right in front of me.  But she had no idea that I had fallen.  I knew then that everything was OK. She didn’t even notice my wet clothes, and I knew then that I had increased my chances of seeing her again.  I was looking to see if she was looking, but she wasn’t.  Throughout dinner, I did not say one word about the fall.  And that young lady, who is now my wife, did not find out about that fall until several years later.

Looking Over Heaven’s Balcony

     While we are looking for God, He is looking to see exactly who on earth is looking for Him. He is looking to see who’s looking. God’s eyes are scanning the whole earth to show Himself strong to those whose hearts are perfect toward Him. If your heart is perfect toward God, that means you are walking in the Word. That means you are seeking God, and letting His Word constantly renew your mind. You have established your faith in God.

     In this world of continuous distractions and extreme impatience, God is looking to see if someone, anyone, on this earth cares enough about Him to seek Him out.  As you will discover in a later chapter, the benefits of looking for God are beyond measure.  But if God remains hidden in your life, those benefits will not be realized. If you seek God, He will show up.

God, What Are You Looking At?

     If we only realized how many times God anxiously looks over heaven’s balcony to see if anyone is looking for Him, we would pursue Him more diligently.  Let’s look at some instances when God’s eyes were upon the people, and they did not know it:

     1.Jesus sat at the treasury, and looked.
     2.Jesus looked and declared that the fields were white as snow.
     3.Jesus looked at the multitudes as though they were sheep without a shepherd.
     4.God looked for a man to stand in the gap, and found none.
     5.God looked for a man after His own heart, and found King David.
     6.God looked for a man He could bless and redeem, and Noah found grace in the            eyes of the Lord.
     7.Noah did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord.

     God peers over His balcony and looks out at instances such as these. Likewise, he is looking out at your life.  What will God see?  Will He look and see the by-products of your lifestyle and look away? Or, will He look to see if you are standing in the gap, and discover that you are not?  Or, will He look and see that you are after His own heart, and that you are doing that which is right in His eyes?

As Long As You Seek Him

     I am reminded of the story of King Uzziah in II Chronicles 26.  He was crowned King of Jerusalem when he was 16 and he reigned 52 years.  He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.

     Do you remember we previously discussed the “force of prosperity”? God is so willing to bless you that He will make you prosper. He will make you lie down in green pastures and He will cause your futile efforts to make a 180 degree turn and prosper anyway.  Uzziah was living under that force. The point is, as long as you seek Him, God will cause everything that you do to prosper. Your prosperity is tied into seeking God.

     You see, before you can ask anything of God, you have to know Him.  Before you can get to know God, you must seek Him. Once you find Him, you and everything that you touch will prosper and flourish.

     God greatly helped King Uzziah.  When he warred against the Philistines, God helped him defeat them. The Ammonites gave him many gifts and his name was spread abroad.  The Word says he strengthened himself exceedingly and on a continual basis. How do you think King Uzziah strengthened himself? He sought God.

     Uzziah was prosperous. He had cattle in the mountains and in the plains. He invented weaponry to use in warfare.  He prevailed over all his enemies.  Uzziah was prosperous because he sought God. As long as you seek God he will marvelously help you.  You will prevail over all the weapons and over all the enemies that come against you.

     However, after all the success and the marvelous help Uzziah had received from God, He became haughty. He transgressed against God.  This is a sure-fire method of losing all that God has given you.  Life’s greatest tragedy occurs when you make a determination to learn of God and to seek Him, and once He rewards you, you give all the glory to yourself.  To God and God only be the glory! Great things He has done!

     The Amplified Bible version of Psalm 14: 1 says the empty-headed fool lives in a way (manner) to say that there is no God. Verse 2 says that God looked to see if there were any who understood, dealt wisely and sought after God. Today, God is still looking for a people who will inquire of and for Him and who will require His very presence.  Will you be among that number?