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Seeking God
by Richard McCaw Sometimes we feel burdened by a load of sin on our minds and in our hearts. Is there no rest, no peace? Perhaps, we are weary and discouraged. If only there were a way out. We feel so lost with no way of escape. People at work are no help; at home, they seem worse and the children get on our nerves. With money problems on every hand, how can we pay all the bills? Things do not seem to get better, only worse. Not just the children but everybody gets on our nerves. And we get on theirs. There is prejudice of all kinds. We even seem to be a problem to ourselves. We speak as if we know all the answers and that only annoys those around us. Self and pride are our biggest problem. We need help from somebody somewhere, somebody bigger than ourselves, bigger than our problems. We need to seek God at a time like this, when we find ourselves bowed down with so many cares. "You will seek me and find me,'" says the prophet, Jeremiah, to the children of Israel. They had found themselves far from God. That is just when they should have been seeking for God. If they had begun searching for Him, they would certainly have found Him. When we find ourselves in this condition, unable to help ourselves, we really need to begin seeking God seriously. At such a time He is the only answer. We need to reach the place that Paul, the apostle, reached, when he cried out desperately, "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells." (Romans 7:18) It is a place of brokenness before God. "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?" But then, there is hope. He began to rejoice. "I thank Godthrough our Lord Jesus Christ.' (Romans 7:24, 25) One day, a very short man climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus Christ, but Jesus too was seeking him. Jesus stopped. "Zacchaeus, come down!" He called. Then Zacchaeus came down and the Master entered his life and changed him. Jesus Himself said, "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10) Zacchaeus was lost indeed, but then Jesus found him. Everyone who seeks God will find Him. When God finds us, we will be delivered from our lost condition. No more restlessness. Weariness and discouragement will fly away. We will then be able to do what Isaiah said, "wait upon the Lord, renew our strength, mount up with wings as eagles, run and not be weary, walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40: 31) Why? Because "the joy of Lord becomes our strength." (Neh. 8: 10) But it is important to seek God "with all of our hearts." "You will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all you heart." (Jer. 29: 13) Perhaps, we have not found God yet, because we have only searched for Him half heartedly, and not with all of our hearts. No half-hearted seeking will find God. God is too Great, too Mighty to be found like that. One has to search for God, as if searching for a treasure. As if God is some mystery to solve, some puzzle to be worked out. What a joy to find that the puzzle has an answer, that the jigsaw can be fitted together! And look at it. There is the ANSWER! Everything fits so neatly together. And that is the same when we seek for God. When we search for God with all of our hearts, we will find rest and peace. No longer are we looking at our burdens, sins, and failures, but looking up to Jesus Christ, our Great God and Savior. This is what God calls us to do every day of our lives. He says: "This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him." (Mark 9:7). Writing and publishing poetry and short stories since 10 years of age. Published one serialized novel in a youth magazine. Edited two magazines. Wrote freelance articles for newspapers and magazines. Became the center page devotional writer for a weekly political newspaper that reached to other countries as far as Nigeria. Classical and gospel musician and teacher (piano, violin, guitar, vocal, speech dynamics,writing technics, personal evangelism). Published one music book - "The Art of Playing by Ear -Piano Technique for absolute beginners. Pastor, evangelist (preached mostly and trained Christian leaders in high schools and churches between 1965-1994), youth pastor, elder, and father of six, 2 are musicians and teachers. Landscape artist as well. Former Senior piano instructor for Boys' and Girls' Clubs in Ft. Lauderdale. Taught Music, Spanish, Drama, Computer and Art in schools. Ministered the Word in conferences in Trinidad, Montserrat, Curacao, Guyana, Canada, England and the United States. Represented Jamaica in the Caribbean Writers' and Artists' Conference in Trinidad years ago. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |