By David Faust
An object’s importance determines how intensely you pursue it. You might casually look for a restaurant to eat lunch, but you will search diligently for a lost pet, a misplaced diamond ring, or a missing child.
The pursuit of happiness moves us to seek comfort and convenience, treasure and pleasure, recognition and admiration. But how intense is our desire to know God?
We Seek Him
Seeking God is a worthwhile pursuit. What goal could be more important than to “seek the Lord while he may be found” (Isaiah 55:6)?
Seeking God ought to be a lifelong pursuit. David told the Lord, “I will praise you as long as I live” (Psalm 63:4).
Seeking God should be an intentional pursuit—a deliberate decision to “seek his face always” (Psalm 105:4).
And seeking God is a rewarding pursuit. “He rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
We seek God by looking for his fingerprints in nature. We can recognize the Creator’s handiwork in a mountain’s grandeur and a waterfall’s roar . . . in vast outer space and a delicate butterfly’s wing . . . in the birth of a baby and the microscopic marvels of DNA.
“God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
We seek God by recognizing his image in others. If we believe every human being is made in the Creator’s likeness, we will look for God’s glory in human achievement, creativity, and personality.
We seek God by hearing his voice in Scripture and obeying his written Word, even when it says things we would rather not hear.
He Seeks Us
God himself is a seeker. He searched for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Jesus came like a shepherd searching for lost sheep. The Father seeks believers who will worship him in spirit and truth (John 4:23).
During a mission trip to Romania, my wife and I encountered dozens of Ukrainian refugees, including several young moms and children whose dads had to stay behind to protect their homeland.
We spoke with a Romanian minister named Mihai who, at considerable risk, was making regular trips into Ukraine to take food to families ravaged and separated by the war. During one of his visits, Mihai passed out candy to cheer up the children, but one sad-looking little boy shook his head and refused to accept it. Mihai tried to give him a toy, but the boy again refused and rejected any attempt to cheer him up. Mihai wasn’t sure what to do, so he began to interact with the other children who were there.
Soon Mihai felt a tug on his pants. The boy looked up at him and asked, “Do you know where my father is?”
Mihai teared up. He told the boy, “I don’t know where your father is. But I know where your heavenly Father is, and I’m going to talk to him about it. He is with you even if your daddy can’t be right now.”
The Father in heaven hasn’t forsaken us. Long ago he promised the exiled Jews, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Even before we sought the Lord, he was seeking us.
Personal Challenge: Speak with an accountability partner or members of your small group; agree to seek God intentionally over the next week. Notice any ways you encounter the Lord through reading the Bible, looking at nature, or interacting with others. Jot down any “God sightings” you observe and talk about them the next time you meet.
Author: Christian Standard
Contact us at **@********************ia.com
