‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’ (v13) Jeremiah 29:12–14
We begin a fresh journey today. It’s one that will lead us to Christmas. It is a journey framed by the timeless Christmas message – journeying with others in search of God.
Every day with Jesus is our daily point of departure on this journey. Our desire is that we learn to live in the footsteps of Jesus. Our struggle is always the relentless pressure to conform to the pattern of the world that surrounds us, a world that has abandoned God in so many ways (Rom. 12:2).
As we step out on this journey, from wherever our starting point, maybe we can be reassured in the knowledge that God does not deliberately disguise Himself in an attempt to hide from us. In fact, it is we who most often discover we are attempting to hide from God because of our shame, pain and disappointment created by life choices (Gen. 3:9–10).
Jeremiah, who prophesied at the time of Judah’s destruction by the Babylonians and their subsequent exile, tells us that God wants to be found. The obstacle is never the elusive nature of the Lord, but an issue with our own attitude.
So our journey will invite us to consider all the baggage we bring with us before offering us the opportunity to reflect on the degree to which our heart yearns for God, whilst identifying where obstacles remain that separate us from God’s full embrace.
SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER: Deut. 6:1–6; Prov. 8:17–21; Jer. 29:1–9; Acts 17:24–31.
AN ACTION TO TAKE: When planning any journey we recognise it will require persistence and we will discover many things. Are you willing to undertake this journey in search of God?
A PRAYER TO MAKE: ‘Lord, I am grateful that You invite me to get to know You better each and every day. May my faith and friendship grow. Amen.’
Photo by David Marcu on Unsplash
