We are all looking for something. How to bake a cake, how to repair a car, how to build a birdhouse. What ever we are looking to do, you can usually find the answer on the internet. Notice the words, “looking to do”. We are looking to do something.
But what if the questions are: How to love your neighbour, how to accept people as they are (even if they are family or don’t believe as you do), how to get closer to God. These questions are not answered just by looking online. Oh, I know, you can find sites that will tell you things you can do to love, accept, get closer, but these are only others opinions or ideas.
I know that for myself, looking for answers takes up a lot of time, either researching for a good recipe, or ideas for things to do around the house, or praying for the answer to how to love and accept others.
One of my favourite passages in the Bible is in Jeremiah. Most of you know chapter 29, verse 11, but how many keep reading on the verses 12-14a? Those are my favourites in this section. It tells me to call on God, pray to Him, seek Him and He will listen to me. Seek Him with all my heart and I will find Him. He will bring me back from captivity.
“For I know the plans I have for you, ‘declares the Lord’, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, ask I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, ‘declares the Lord’, and will bring you back from captivity. ” Jeremiah 29:11-24a
I love these verses. They are one of the treasures found in the Bible. We all have been in captivity in one way or another. Held captive by addictions, by obsessions, by possessions, by others opinions. But He is there waiting for us to seek Him. I tend to get distracted by stuff. So seeking Him, while easy in itself, is not always an easy thing to remember to do. I try to spend time praying, trying to leave my cares and worries at the foot of the cross. In His hands, to be carried by Him when they are too much for me. I know that He has the answers to my “how to’s”. Even if it is how to accept someone that does not believe as I do, or just how to make “Beanie Weenies” in my instant pot.
Thank you, God for your answers, and for carrying my worries and heartaches when they become too heavy. And for giving me joy to live each day with You!
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