“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
(Jeremiah 29:13, NASB)
The verse is often quoted but somehow, I think I missed the most important word in the verse. One word, stood out, calling to be seen – when.
There are times when it seems like God is quiet or can’t be found, and we seem to wonder “why”? Or where is He? We tend to cast the fault on Him as if He is able of ignoring us or is distant.
Yet if I am reading this verse correctly, the fault lies totally with us. We have the responsibility to seek Him with all our heart.
Perhaps the question that needs to be asked is, “What does it mean to seek Him with all my heart?” Other versions many shed some light:
- “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” (NLT)
- “When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul.” (NET)
- “Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Amplified)
Seeking Him with all my heart involves more than a cursory once over. It takes a wholeheartedness. It takes prayer. Worship is involved. He becomes a vital necessity to living. It involves more than we are willing to give some days.
“If we seek Him, we will find Him when we want Him more than all else.”
(New American Commentary, page 254).
The key to finding Him is wanting Him more than we want anything or anyone else. He is to be our first choice and not something we default to when all else fails. Perhaps the question we need to ask ourselves is, “How much do we want to find Him?”
We shall find Him … when.
When we need Him as a necessity to live.
When we give Him all of our heart.
A little word can deliver a powerful message. In their post “The Power of Yet” HERE, two grandmothers remind us of this little word. “Because yet doesn’t promise that everything will be easy. It doesn’t mean we won’t struggle, make mistakes or need to try again. What it does remind us is that where we are today doesn’t have to be where we stay. There is always room to learn, grow, practice and discover what might be possible.”
Come, sit a spell. Bring your coffee, your posts, and your thoughts. If you link up, kindly visit those who have drawn up a seat around you.
Image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay
Our ‘why’ questions often take us to a dead end. Thanks for sharing the power of the ‘when,’ Joanne.
Wonderful thoughts, Joanne. Since God promised to be with us always, it seems silly to search for Him. Perhaps it’s not His presence the verse is speaking of searching for, but rather an invitation to intimacy. A knowing God, relationally, not superficial knowledge of where He can be found. He is always here, waiting, longing for us to surrender to an intimacy of knowing and being known.
I love it when something new pops out of a familiar verse. Thanks for reminding us of “when” to find Him.
I am so easily distracted. I start out searching for God and his presence and end up on a rabbit trail to satisfy a very unimportant “theological” question.
Thanks be to God, he never gets sidetracked.
Your post really got me thinking, Joanne! Perhaps the greatest invitation in these words is to consider where God truly stands in our lives. It’s easy to turn to Him when we need comfort, guidance, or help, but a deeper relationship begins when seeking Him becomes part of our everyday lives, not just our difficult moments. When we give Him our hearts and make Him our first choice, we discover that He was never far away—we simply needed to make room for Him. Some times, sadly, that happens too easily. Your post was a good reminder and I appreciate how you tied our “Not Yet” message to it, as well. Where we are today doesn’t have to be where we stay and there is always new opportunities to grow and learn and, with God by our side, the possibilities are endless!
I love this: “If we seek Him, we will find Him when we want Him more than all else.” It’s too easy to just want His help and provision than to want Him.
Oh, how my heart can lead me astray when I don’t fix my eyes on Him!
Joanne, I love the word “wholeheartedly.” Even when it’s hard to live this way. So thankful for the promise that we can find the Lord when we seek him.