“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.”
The above were God’s words to the Israelites while they were captives in Babylon. Actually though, the background to this Scripture doesn’t have anything to do with what I’ve been reflecting on. I’ve been thinking of the world as it is today.
The sentence that intrigued me was: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” The words that especially drew me and made me wonder were: “with all your heart.”
What exactly does it mean to seek God with all our hearts? Does it mean working hard to focus on him, shutting all other things out? That sounds like a rather intensive – maybe even stressful – exercise. Is that really what God wants from us? And God has so many attributes. Which are you seeking? All of them, or something in particular? What are you seeking from God today? What kind of a heart do you have today?
- A heart filled with anxiety? God will offer peace and security.
- Are you grieving? God can comfort us.
- Are you lonely? God can give us his friendship.
- Overwhelmed with everything? God can encourage us to take one thing at a time.
- A joyous heart? God will listen as we express ourselves. He will join with us as we celebrate.
After thinking about it, I have come to believe that God must want us to search for him with whatever heart we may happen to have inside us today. What do you have within your free and natural heart today? With what honesty can you come before God as you seek him – as children might…trusting Him.
With what kind of heart are you seeking God today?
God said: “…you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Isn’t that the best thing? To know He will listen to us?
I’m praying that you will find the joy that reaching out to God can bring. Open your heart to him. He’ll come in.
marja
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