Seeking God
Playing hide and seek with a child is always fun. I love playing this game with my five-yearold. Our games together remind me of some very basic principles that can be applied when we seek God in our daily walk.
Think like a 5-yearold
Children are simple. They aren’t masters of the game. Think simple. Get down on their level.
Matthew 18:2-4 - He called a little child to Him, and placed the child among them. And He said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.”
Here, the disciples are arguing amongst themselves about who will be the greatest in Jesus’ kingdom. They had become so preoccupied with the organization of the kingdom that they lost site of the divine purpose. They were being childish.
Jesus said you won’t enter my kingdom until you become child-LIKE.
We must realize that we have nothing to gain on this earth. Everything that is here stays here when we go. We can work for this life until we are sick. We can attain every goal, achieve every dream, provide every desire, but you know what? In the end, we all die and leave every bit of it behind. NONE OF IT MATTERS! What matters then is whether or not we acquired that childlike faith that it takes to enter the kingdom of God.
Look where you just hid.
Five-year-olds are imitators! If I just hid behind the shower cur- tain, there is a good chance that is where I will find my Hannah.
Hebrews 13: 7, 8Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
We are to imitate in three ways:
First, if you are a believer, it is because someone allowed God to use them to change your life. We are to imitate this in the lives of others. Someone invested in you, prayed for you, shared with you, and aren’t you glad? Now it is our turn. We must commit to sharing that gift with others.
Second, we are to imitate the disciplines of those who are further along in their spiritual journey. Think about the person who you look up to most in a spiritual aspect. Who are those ‘spiritual giants’ in your life? I’m not talking about the person that has gone to church the longest or is running the most ministries. I am talking about that sweet person who loves the Lord and has committed her life to His will. Ask them about their time with God. We go days on end without picking up God’s word and we wonder why we don’t feel God’s presence. Our prayer time consists of a 30 second recited grace before each meal. And we ask why God isn’t active in our lives.
And finally, you should imitate Jesus. Verse 8 says Jesus is the same today as He has always been. Stay in the word. The Jesus that was speaking in those red letters is still speaking to hearts today. Study Jesus and imitate His ways.
Five-year-olds giggle, all the time! Sometimes we just need to stand still and listen.
John 10:27 - My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
It is during the time of the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem. Religious leaders surrounded Jesus and told him, “If you are the Christ, say so plainly.” They wanted to find Jesus guilty of blasphemy. But Jesus didn’t work that way. Here, he says, “I told you, and you do not believe.” But my sheep, they hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.
God still speaks to us today. If we stand still and listen, we can hear Him. How hard is it to stand still and listen for God? We have so much going on, we are busy women! Satan has filled our lives with just enough white noise to steal our chances of hearing God call out our name. But sometimes you have to say NO MORE! I am going to stand, quietly, and listen for that still small voice. Listen as God calls you by name. There isn’t anything that sounds any sweeter. When we hear Him, we can follow him. Seeking and following God puts us in perfect fellowship with Him and gives us clear direction for our lives. We are seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness, and then trusting that all other things will be added.