We Seek, God Reveals, We Respond

When we search for God, we will find Him. Each of us has a hole or void within our being. As we seek to fill this emptiness, we tend to look in all of the wrong places.
Youth, idealism, temporary pleasure, and striving for lofty goals lead us into shallow successes. External happiness is experienced for awhile but doesn’t last.

Frequently we don’t even realize we have this internal need to investigate a deeper purpose for our existence until something or someone in our life has gone away. Humanly, we take for granted people and things we have in our lives, believing that they will always be there. Things or even people in our lives aren’t there forever.

As young men and women we depend on peers, activities, successes, and life around us to be, or to contribute to our personal happiness. When one depends on others or on circumstances for happiness, the happiness is only a fleeting reality.

Disappointments cause us to question ourselves, our goals, and our life purposes. Living life teaches us not to take ourselves so seriously. We learn how to laugh at ourselves and at our actions. When we finally begin searching for true meaning and value in our lives we realize that happiness is internal. We are responsible for our own happiness. We can be responsible for the care and comfort of others but we cannot be responsible for someone else’s happiness. Once we understand this, especially when we are dealing with difficult people in our lives, we are freed from a lot of pressure.

When striving and external pressures are lifted and when we are emptied of what we thought was important, we hopefully seek that which is important. Now God has the opportunity to fill us with Himself and things of value. As we seek, we will find. This He has promised to us in His Word.

How does God reveal Himself to us? We see Him in the beauty of His creation. His art work is magnificent. An artist creates his art. The Creator has created His creation. Contrary to what some would have you believe; we, and the world around us, are not mutations. God’s plan and design are perfect. We are fearfully and wonderfully made!
God has spoken to me in a rainbow around the moon in New Mexico. He made Himself known to my family and me in a falling star as we left church after a Christmas Eve service. He spoke to my heart in the chirping song of a bright red cardinal sitting in the mangrove bushes across the canal from me as I sat praying. He told me that His mercy is as wide as the sea while I quietly worshiped Him on board a cruise ship in a Norwegian Fjord. He speaks to Richie and me from the dark starry sky above the canal and our balcony in the Keys. The song, “God Will Take Care of You”, came to my spirit as I road my bike on Long Key’s bike path. I know that He “will take care of me through all the way, or all the day…God will take care of me”. He will speak to you too if you are seeking and listening.

The following glimpse of God’s presence touched my heart as I am sure it will touch yours. I received a phone call from my sister, Marlene, yesterday. Her friend, Ann, had passed away the previous night. Ann was told, less than a week ago, that there were no further treatments for her cancer. She chose to be placed on hospice. Her family and the hospice nurse were with her when she died. The priest came to be with her, and to bless her, and to comfort her family. My sister, an RN, was at her side and has been there for her and her family throughout the course of Ann’s illness. Everyone at the bedside looked out through the picture window in the room. A golden glow filled the view and was followed by the full arch of a vivid and vibrant rainbow in the evening sky. Everyone went outside to gaze on its beauty and its message. Neighbors, now all aware of Ann’s death, stood with her family in silent awe of the moment. God’s presence in the comfort and beauty of His rainbow was a spiritual revelation and a spiritual moment in the lives of each person present. God helped Ann tell each of them that she was at peace and her love would always be with them. This moment, and the recounting of God’s perfect timing, and His rainbow will continue to touch lives. He revealed Himself to everyone there. Ann’s life and the story of the miracle rainbow will live on, in all of our lives.

He is in his creation and in our consciousness. Be still. Listen. Take time to be less busy and purposefully look for Him and listen to Him. Seek Him. You will find Him. You will sense His still small voice within you. He will give you a feeling of peace when you are in His will. He will also do the opposite. When you have uneasiness about a situation or a decision in your life, give it some more time and greater consideration until you feel a sense of peace about your choices.

God reveals Himself in His Word. He tells us who He is, what He has done, and how we are to live. Find all of His promises and claim them for yourself. This is what He wants us to do. Search the scriptures for answers. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. As our faith grows, we develop a more intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior. Jesus is my friend and I continue to seek to have a closer walk with Him.

How have I responded to God?
I have looked for the Lord, and He has found me. I have responded to Him by saying “Yes, I believe”. “I am truly sorry for wrongdoings in my life”. “I receive Your love and forgiveness”. I have asked Jesus into my heart and have accepted Him as my Savior. I have made Him The Lord of My Life.

If you haven’t done the same, do it, and see what a difference He makes. He will walk with you and guide your life and choices? He sets us free and gives us a peace that passes understanding.

Let us keep learning, keep listening, keep seeking a deeper walk, and keep growing in The Lord.