HOW TO SEEK AND FIND GOD

Olufunmilayo Adekusibe
4 hours ago
4 min read

Today’s Reading:

Jeremiah 29:8-23

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for me with all your heart”. (v. 13)

The scripture is full of evidence that God is everywhere(Ps.. 139:7-10), that is, Omnipresent; He fills everywhere in heaven and the earth (Jer. 23:23-24; He is present and with men (Gen. 28:15); man cannot hide from him (Ps.139:7); his eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth (2 Chr. 16:9); He lives in the heavens and rules in the kingdom (affairs) of men (Dan. 4:17). Given this facts, one then wonders why God himself would have spoken through prophet Jeremiah in our Today’s reading in v13, that He be sought and searched for, so that He be found! To “seek” means: to look for; to ask for; to try to find. To “find” means: to meet with; to discover; to arrive at; to succeed in getting. To “search” means: to explore all over in trying to find something; to examine closely; to probe; to scrutinise.

What is the correlation between searching with the heart and finding God?

The “heart” is a core organ in the human body, which is said to be the origin and seat of: affections, understanding and thoughts. No wonder, therefore, that we find in v11 that God says He knows the thoughts that He thinks towards the people, children of Judah, who were in exile in Babylon for seventy years. The thoughts were of peace and not of evil, to give them a future and a hope. God actually thinks in his heart, good thoughts towards his people. Since man is created in God’s image and likeness, it is not surprising then that God required and still requires that men not only seek him, but search for him with their hearts. If they did and do this, then they are sure to find him. This brings to mind the scripture that deep calls to deep (Ps. 42:7). God desires and wants personal close relationships with each person He has created; no wonder then that to find him and for him to be found, it goes beyond just calling on him, praying to him, seeking him, but demands “searching” for him. From the earlier definitions listed, it is obvious that searching is deeper than all other means of reaching God.

The question then is, how do you search for God with your heart and find him? From the foregoing, it is obvious that searching with the heart goes beyond a casual call and prayer or seeking. It entails a close examination or exploration and understanding of God’s nature, characteristics, desires and a very close walk with him. For instance, God is holy, dwells in absolute light, hates sins and iniquities, is very loving, compassionate, merciful, etc. To reach God’s heart, therefore, one must be free from sins, etc, washed and cleansed with the blood of Jesus, whom one needs to accept as Lord and Saviour. One must be born again, resulting in being a new creature in whom the Holy Spirit now resides. Also, the person’s own spirit in the heart is now alive and connected to the in-dwelling Holy Spirit. The scripture in John 9:31 confirms that God does not listen to sinners, but to those who are godly and do his will. Having attained this born-again status, it becomes automatic to search for God and be found of him. He will yield to all calls, prayers, seeking and searching with one’s heart and aliened to his own heart, i.e. deep calling to deep.

In Today’s reading and in other verses, we see many benefits from searching for God with one’s heart. These include: peace, a future, and a hope (v11); restoration (v14); He will be found (v14); his abiding presence will be enjoyed always, even to the end of the age (Matt 28:20); He never leaves one (Heb. 13:5); prosperity and success will abound (Josh 1:9). Never relent in your now good relationship with God, having heart-to-heart interactions, keep growing and search continuously. Keep seeking, and you will find God by searching with your renewed heart.

CHRISTIE KUPOLUYI

To surrender your life to Christ, say this prayer aloud. “Father, I acknowledge my sin against You. I repent and ask for forgiveness, in the name of Jesus. I surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, take control of my heart and lead me in Your path of righteousness. Thank you, Lord.”

If you said the prayer, Congratulations! You are welcome to the body of Christ. Prayerfully look for a living church and meet the resident reverend, pastor or priest.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for creating us in your image and likeness.
Precious Saviour, we appreciate your work of redemption that has given us renewed hearts that can call upon your own heart in seeking, calling and searching.
Lord, teach us how best to reach You in our searching for you with our hearts, so that we find you always.
Father, teach the church to search and find you, so that no soul will be lost to hell.
Lord, help the leaders and the masses of our nation to seek, call and search for you so that we find you.