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Seeking God

          This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:10-14)

 

Today’s passage contains the beloved verse “For I know the plans I have for you…” To read Scripture correctly, we need to do more than read a beloved verse. Put in context, God told Israel that the hard times they were facing was not the end. When their time in captivity was over, He would take them back to Israel and they would be in proper relation to Him. Part of the reason they would be in proper relation voluntarily is because they would learn how to be in proper relation to the king of Babylon involuntarily. The king of Babylon would expect and enforce obedience. They would also learn that God was far more loving than the king of Babylon. The Israelites were given this information as a reason to hope, and they knew how long they would have to wait: seventy years minus time already spent.

As we face life's difficulties wherever we live, we generally lament because there is no end in sight. We try to fix things ourselves, like Abraham and Sarah, and like the Israelites. We don’t want to wait 25 years, or 70 years. But what if our waiting even five years involves us in something God is doing that is beyond our wildest dreams?

God told the Israelites that when they went back to Israel, they would  have a hope and a future. They would seek Him and find Him when  they sought Him with all their hearts. What would happen if we started seeking Him now? Perhaps with 10% of our hearts? With 50? With 90? Do we even know what it means to seek Him?

When we’re talking about something physical, seeking is easy. You look around the room (or wherever it’s likely to be found.) Perhaps you look in cupboards or drawers, or under or behind furniture. But where do you look for God? Three ideas come to mind. The first is in the Bible. The second is in whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8) The third is wherever you find love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians5:22-23.)

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