Verse of the Day Devotion: Jeremiah 29:13

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13

There are two basic ways to seek after God.  We either look for Him with all our heart, or we casually seek Him putting on a pretense.  The method we use depends on what our purpose is in seeking Him.

If we are really serious in finding God; in love and humility presenting ourselves to Him, He will definitely show Himself.  “I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me.” Proverbs 8:17.  This is a very great promise He has declared.  If we call upon Him with all our heart, not just with words but with a true desire to find Him, to connect with Him and fellowship with Him, He will make Himself known to us.

God is always hearing our prayers.  And He knows our hearts regarding our prayers.  If our prayers are truly from our heart, He will hear and answer.  However, if we simply throw up a prayer so that we can say we prayed, then He may not be there for us.  Prayer is a very serious thing.  This is communication between us and the Almighty God, the all-powerful creator of all that is.  And when we seek Him in prayer, our focus needs to be Him and His will, not me and my will.  We must trust Him completely that what we ask for will be given to us if it is what is best for us.  We should not expect Him to hear us if we ask for something and expect Him to deliver as we desire.

God loves us.  He wants to be there for us.  He wants us to spend time with Him, giving Him the praise and worship He deserves.  He wants to speak into our lives and help us to become the man or woman of God He desires.  However, we must want it; with all our heart, soul mind and strength.  And we must want it on His terms and not our own.  Case in point, the rich young ruler.  “A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’ And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Luke 18:22.  Jesus answered this man’s question.  This young man was asking about eternal life with God.  But note his response.  “But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.”  He was searching for God and an eternal relationship, but on his terms, not God’s.  Jesus said to give up all his wealth, but the man wanted to keep it, showing where his focus was.

Remember our focus verse, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”  If our focus is on wealth, fame, or having our own way, then are we truly seeking Him with all our heart?  We must be willing to humble ourselves before God and make Him Lord of our lives, which means His way is the only way.  And we must love and trust Him, knowing that He desires the best for us.  He must be our focus.  Then we will find Him.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.