Seek and Find
Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.
1 Chronicles 16:11 Look to the LORD and his strength ; seek his face always.
2 Chronicles 15:2b The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 119:2 Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart
Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Amos 5:4 This is what the LORD says to Israel; “Seek me and live,”
Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Luke 11:9 So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him
God created man and his mate as close to Himself, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, so the three could have a relationship with man. He made him as the most superior animal to be in charge of all the other animals, birds, and fish. The Creator also made all things for man to enjoy–flowers, birds flying and singing, animals contentedly roaming, eating only what they needed, and put man and his mate in a lush garden full of a multitude of different bushes, trees, fruits, birds, butterflies, and so forth. God wanted a relationship with the one he created that was most like God.
But the man and his mate, woman, messed up when selfishness, desire, and greed entered them, through the enticement of the serpent. They wanted to be as smart and wise as God, so disobeyed God’s word not to touch a certain fruit, and indulged in it. Anyway, that ended the close relationship they had shared daily with God. They were banished from the Garden, and sent out to forage food for themselves, to work the land, and to no longer have the delights and pleasures of the Garden. Shame and guilt were now common feelings rather than the acceptance and happiness and joy they had experienced just enjoying God and His creative, beautiful Garden.
And those selfish, covetous feelings have continued down the line, still present within each of us. Afterall, their oldest son, Cain killed his younger brother Abel because he was angry that Abel’s offering pleased God more than his own did. Deeper, more hurtful sin entered in with murder. Greed had further expanded to ‘if I can’t have, no one can’ mentality–and murder, anger, and self entitlement, entered and damaged physically our world.
But this is NOT what God wanted–ever. He wanted a relationship–friendship, then Father-child, but a closeness to us where He sought us, and we answered. And where we would seek Him and He was present. Most of us answer a child’s cry within a short time — unless my child has been a tired brat, and it is now time for a nap, I do not generally go in and try to reason–and will let them cry. But once awake, I am all about cuddling with that child and letting them know they are loved. That is how God wants it to be with us. We cry out to Him and He answers, directs, comforts, and reassures us all will work out according to His plan which is to give us good and not harm.
God has instructed many men to write his words, promises, and commands to us. He still wants a relationship with each of us. He wants His words imprinted in our minds and hearts, so we stay on the honorable and good path He has set before us. That does NOT mean we will never be stricken with illness, pain, loss, grief, anger; but his book is full of instruction and guidance to soothe and direct all the while reassuring. And all he wants is for us to seek him, to want a relationship with him, knowing we are only human, he wants us to strive to walk as close to His Son, Jesus as we can.
It takes a while for most of us to develop a relationship with others. Oh, you can have a surface relationship, oil floating on the top of gravy kind of relationship, but not anything that reaches down into the flavorful part of a connection. Some can build friendships shortly, it does not take long for them to see and trust you. I have also, although I tend to hold back and take things slower. But there have been connections in my life that have lasted years. We have been so close, knowing each other so well, we can jump into chatter with no introduction or back story, because they have been part of our life as it developed. There’s a firm foundation of years of trust, of knowledge of truth. Those friends have no hesitation telling me when I have messed up, have been a brat, have not acted with love and forgiveness. Those are some of the gifts He has blessed me with.
Those are the folks I trust the most, I confide in most often, have held me when I wept, and I have been there for them in their heartache. Although I have many surface friendships, I do not have more than four now that I bare all my heart with. But I am blessed with that. And because I live away from most of them, I confide daily with God because He is always there. He may not always answer me immediately, but I know He has heard and I will soon have an answer to whatever quandary I am dealing with then. Sometimes my answer is in the Bible, sometimes, it is a small “knowing” sometimes a whisper, but I know when he has answered me–and my gut just is happy, relieved, and I am so grateful and full of praise!
He wants us to seek Him, to REALLY want him in our lives, as a companion. He wants us to look for him in every area of our lives–making decisions, determining His will on a matter, directing how he wants you to proceed on the path he has chosen and selected you for–long before you were born.
used to be I would work myself into one tizzy right after another, basically solving nothing. I would fret and worry, but FINALLY I decided to test this and see if it would work by leaving my anxiety and stress at His feet. I did not have a great deal of hope it would all work out; after all, I was responsible, I had finished my education, I had the job and paid the bills–Aiyiyi! Little punch of the word “I”. And my mind, so used to Satan’s nasty whispers of failure and things going to get worse, and I was the one in control, so of course, by now abandoning my responsibility and decisions to Him, this would fail. Initially, the fears would come roaring back into my brain. But I kept repeating, over and over, in my mind, that I was trusting–it was for a period of time, but if things improved, I had the full reassurance that Satan was urging me to fail. And showing himself the liar–again. And what I was learning was that God would guide, light my path, and give me rest. Seek his direction and path, and he would be there to help and work with me. His promises proved true each time–sometimes taking longer for a response. But that was testing me–was a committed enough to fully trust to the last minute for his answer. The building of perseverance, strengthening that foundation. Seek and you will find–because He wants to be found by you.
So thank You, Creator for ALL if you have blessed me with–Your Son, the Holy Spirit, and the direction for me and ‘my bellaviews.’
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