Seeking God Above Everything Else

By Dean Collins

Years ago, singer-songwriter Rich Mullins collaborated with his good friend, David Strasser, and wrote a song most commonly known as “Step By Step.” In the late 90s and for more than a decade, it was sung in almost every Christian camp or Christian youth gathering I ever attended. Between Rich Mullins, Michael W. Smith, and BeBe and CeCe Winans, this song has continued to live on.

If you have attended church much since the 90s, you likely remember these lyrics:

“O God, you are my God, and I will ever praise you.

I will seek you in the morning and learn to walk in your ways.

And step by step you’ll lead me, and I will follow you all of my days.”

(The melody might be stuck in your head for a while if you know the song.)

As I read Psalm 63 this morning, this song came to mind. The Psalm opens, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you.” The psalmist and Rich Mullins had similar passion for God, namely, to daily seek and praise God and to follow him wherever he leads. You can feel the longing for God as Psalm 63 continues: “My soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”  

When we are thirsty, there is no substitute for water to quench our thirsts. Sweet tea might taste good, but it doesn’t quench thirst like cool refreshing water. David went on to say that he knew that God’s love was steadfast and better than life itself. David’s great desire was to be in the presence of God, where he would rest, listen, praise, and worship.

What struck me today was how easy it is to run to God in a crisis or with a specific need, and of course, we can. But sometimes we fall into a habit of praying because we need something rather than spending time with God because we need him. As I thought about this, I wrote a new verse for “Step By Step” that illustrates how we sometimes treat God as a heavenly vending machine. 

“O God, you are my God, and I will ever ask you.

I will ask you in the morning and I will ask you every day.

Will you give me what I want now so I can go on my way?” 

That sounds ridiculous, of course, but it illustrates how easy it is to get in the habit of seeking solutions and things and forgetting to seek God.

Today, Father, we come to you because we realize our greatest need is you. We seek you today that we might praise you, rest in you, and hear from you. Forgive us when we have treated you as only a gift giver and solution provider. Today we will rest in your presence. Hear our words of praise and adoration as we cry out that you are holy and worthy of our praise. With gratitude we declare that your love is better than life itself. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 63:1-11 ESV

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