And you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart …

And God said to a people that He had caused to go into captivity, while they were in captivity:

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

This assurance was given to a people denied of their liberty, as part of God’s plan for them.

Sometimes, what could look like a “bad” thing to an outside observer could be God’s perfect will for you. (Ironically those who were not taken away as captives were utterly destroyed by their enemies. Their so called freedom made them vulnerable to annihilation).

God gave the captives a profound promise to be with them in the midst of their captivity:

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

When you search for something with all your heart – you leave no stone unturned until you find it.

You never give up until you find it. You cannot rest. Your mind is not at ease, until you find it. You are unable to sleep even as your mind works non-stop to solve the riddle, to find the answer.

Finding Him and His will alone takes precedence over everything else. You cannot stand still. You are constantly in motion, trying different things until you find the solution. You don’t give up. And when you search of Him with all your heart, God promises:

I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

Ultimately, the one who trusts in God in all seasons, and who finds Him in all circumstances, whether good or bad – will never lack peace, and will therefore always know freedom in their hearts, whether that person is physically free or not.

Jer 29:11‭-‬14 NKJV

The Five Talents

We are all born with gifts with which God wishes to bless the world. Our purpose on earth is to be a blessing to others. It is when we realise this that we find true joy and happiness.

We lead our fullest lives when we do the hard work of digging deep and honing and developing our God given talents.

This is why we continue to learn and study in order to improve our craft.

The more we improve our God-given skills, the more He can use us. The better we get, the more lives He can change through us. The more confident He is to set us before Kings to do His will.

Help us never to bury our talents Lord but to develop and hone them for your glory.

Like a little child …

I was in the shower the other day when the meaning of this scripture hit me:

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said,

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Mt 18:2‭-‬4 NKJV

Little children start off totally dependent on their parents. Submitting to their will without question, trusting whatever they say.

When we choose to follow Christ, we must go back to that place of total vulnerability, allowing His will to supercede ours.

Jesus recognises that this is a process… We need to become as little children and lay aside the cynicism that slowly clouds our minds, obliterates our trust and separates us from His presence.

God desires our total surrender and trust. As adults, that is a deeply uncomfortable place to be.

As Christians, we have chosen to convert but as Jesus explains in this passage, that’s just the start. The process of becoming as little children must follow if we are to attain the ultimate prize.