Bible Studies

---

Jeremiah 29:12-14a - “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear You. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you.” Declares the Lord…

To search for something “with all your heart” means first and foremost that you want it more than anything. Oh, if we all would want God more than anything, more than any object, but also, more than our comfort or our entertainment. We understand that something’s wrong when we pursue material things instead of pursuing God, but why do we think that it’s ok to spend hours comfortably entertained (with TV, Nintendo, movies, etc.) instead of on our knees seeking God. We are all guilty of this on one level or another. You will never find what you don’t search for. As much as God pursues us, yet He wants to be pursued by us. There is something in the seeking, the pursuing, that makes the finding and the having mean more. But seeking God is more than finding, for no matter what we find, there is still more of Him to be found. Our knowledge of Him should always be growing. One of the best parts of this passage is His promise “I will be found by you.” It’s the thrill of the chase without the anxiety of never catching anything. God has promised that we will find Him. Jesus said, “for whoever asks receives, whoever seeks finds, and to the one who knocks the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9&10, Matt.7:7-9)” Sometimes it may take longer and require more effort, but God has promised us that it will not be in vain. For whatever amount of time and effort we must spend in our search for God, surely He will make it worth our while. Finding God is always worth whatever it takes in the searching.

The question now is; how do we go about seeking God? First, we must spend time in the scriptures reading, thinking over, memorizing, and practicing God’s word – hide His word in your heart (Psalm 119:11). Second, spend time in prayer asking God to reveal Himself to you and to help you to pursue Him – don’t be afraid to ask Him for help. Over and above and surrounding and permeating these two things must be the simple desire to know God, to grow in relationship with Him and in Christ likeness - for God looks upon the heart (1 Samuel 16:7) and if we are to be truly seeking God, we must be pursuing Him in our hearts. This is something that we really must ask for; we all know how fickle our hearts can be.

Let this be our prayer, “Our great and mighty God, we come before you now with a desire to know You and a hunger to find You. Lord, help us to search for You with all our hearts. Set our hearts on fire with a love and desire for You, help us to abandon whatever we must so that we can chase after You. Work in us so that we would be a people who seek You and Your kingdom above all else (Matt. 6:33, Luke 12:31). You have called us out of the world and we no longer belong to the world, but we still live in it and it pulls at us. Strengthen us so that we may withstand the world’s influence and stay true to Your word. Lord, we thank You for the promise that You hear us and will answer us (1 John 5:14&15), and for Your promise that if we seek You we will find You (Luke 11:9&10, Matt.7:7-9, Jeremiah 29:12-14). We rest upon Your promise in confidence of Your faithfulness. Thank You for what You have done and what You will do in us and through us. For the sake of Your name we pray. Amen!

See the songs: Nothing but You, Fall Down on Your Knees, Hide and Seek

I like to run words through a thesaurus, it can be very illuminating. Here are some relating to this verse:

Pursue – follow, chase, run after, look/search for, go after, seek

Seek – search, look for, explore, delve into, ask for, beg for, plead, demand, request, insist, require, claim, need, want, desire, be adamant/ firm/ determined, not take no for an answer, persist, be resolute, persevere (this is not half-hearted)

Find – discover, get hold of, realize, catch, learn, gain, grow, expand, develop, reap, benefit, encounter, experience, touch, be affected by

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE