“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” – Jeremiah 29:13-14.
Hide and seek is a game that everyone has played. One person would count to ten, as the other players would scamper off into another part of the house to find a place in which to hide. The anticipation would build as the person who was counting reached 10 and then ran around opening every closet door and looking under every bed. Who doesn’t remember hiding in a hall closet while your heart pounded, hoping like mad that no one would find you? The search was exciting, but the real fun was finding those in hiding.
When parents played hide and seek with the kids, they typically chose a hiding spot where they would eventually be found. I think it is the same way in our relationship with God. When He calls us to search for Him, He never hides Himself so well that He cannot be found.
In Jeremiah 29:13, God doesn’t hide where He can’t be found, but invites us to look for Him and find Him when He says, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you.” There’s no wondering if you’ll find Him, doubting if you’ll be able to make your way to Him, or if you will be allowed to find Him. There’s no question, He will show Himself to you when you genuinely search for Him.
If you quietly seek Him, listen for His voice, and study His word, you will find Him. There are days when you may not feel His presence. But the fact is that God is always with you, even if you don’t sense His presence. And there will be times when you will feel His presence in a real and tangible way. In those moments, it will feel like finding one of your childhood friends in a hall closet, who jumped out with a shout of joy, “You found me!”
The key is not just to bask in God’s presence, but also to let that presence transform you. God’s presence isn’t simply for you to enjoy; it’s meant to inspire you to open yourself up in deeper ways to the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work of transforming you into the person God wants you to become.
Discussion Questions:
- Do you believe that God is always present even when we don’t feel his presence? Why or why not?
- What can we do this week to seek God?