You begin to seek God for who He is when you stop seeking Him for what He can do for you.

A lot of people think God is Santa Claus. He’s the jolly guy with the white beard watching them from heaven to see if they’ve been naughty or nice. Instead of making their Christmas wish list, however, they pray to God when they need stuff, usually during a time of crisis. They see God as a powerful, almost mythical deity, and their relationship (if you can call it that) is based on what they hope he will do for them.

People with this view of God have very little idea of who God really is–the God who loves them and who wants very much to have a personal relationship with them. The only way to change this view is to seek God for who He is. Patrick Morley wrote, “There is the God we want, and there is the God who is, and they are not the same God.” Seek the God who is!

He prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth.”

2 Chronicles 6:14