It seems like all of us are searching for one thing or another. Whether you’re looking for do-it-yourself instructions, driving directions, recipes or retail bargains, internet search engines have literally brought the world to our doorstep. Recently, someone contacted me via social media, hoping that my great-uncle might just be the man her great-aunt eloped with some 60 years ago. This query has generated a flurry of text messages, emails and phone calls to other relatives who might be able to provide helpful clues. It is quite an intriguing quest!
One thing that has captivated human hearts down through the ages is the search for The Divine. A Higher Power has been sought in everything from rocks, hills and trees to the sun, moon and stars. Divinity has been attributed to everything from idols of wood, stone and silver to the universe. Some have boldly declared themselves deity. I like the response of the fictional Father Cavanaugh in the movie, “Rudy”. “Son, in thirty-five years of religious study, I’ve come up with only two hard, incontrovertible facts; there is a God, and, I’m not Him.” Though we ourselves are not God, we have been fearfully and wonderfully created in God’s image and likeness so that we can enjoy intimate friendship with Him.
Romans 1:18-20 says, “…what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world 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.”
I was four years old when I came to understand that my sins were separating me God. Call me precocious, but I wanted that problem remedied immediately. I can vividly remember kneeling to pray with my mom; asking God to forgive my sins and to come live in my heart. In that very moment, I was filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit’s love, joy and peace and an overwhelming desire to share this new-found life with others.
Of all the searches we will ever make in this life, our search for God is the most critical as our eternal destiny depends on it. The truth is, God is not lost. The author of Psalm 119:176 confesses, “I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.”
The good news is that Jesus said He came specifically to seek and to save the lost. If you truly desire to know God for yourself, His promise in Jeremiah 29:13 is “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” Read the Bible and pray and you’ll see what has been hidden in plain sight.