What Do You Seek?

Do you remember your first hobby? Mine was dance. I danced all the time and I wanted to learn new dance moves constantly. I was excited about going to dance class and improving my skill. I still love dance, but my life has changed. As I went to college, I was no longer on a dance team, and I did not have time to commit to dance like I did before. Life got busy and I found new hobbies to replace dancing. New hobbies can be good, but life is constantly changing and evolving. If you want to be committed to a hobby, you have to adapt your life around it.

Do you remember when you were a new Christian? Maybe that has been many years ago or maybe it was last month. Regardless of when you became a Christian, you were seeking Jesus. You were searching for Him, and you were excited to know Him better. You joined Bible studies, read your Bible, prayed daily, and talked about Him to your friends. As a Christian, seeking Jesus is a hobby you are committed to, but sometimes life gets hard or busy and you don’t seek Him as wholeheartedly as you did before.

In Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah is writing to the captives in Babylon encouraging them to move ahead with their lives even in captivity. He told them to pray for the pagan nation that enslaved them. He was guiding them to seek God even in the middle of their awful lives. The Jewish people were in captivity for seventy years. These seventy years were a lifetime for some of these people. Imagine the hopelessness they felt knowing they could die in captivity. Their whole life changed and the life they knew before no longer existed.

Even though it might have been easy to move on from seeking God and trusting Him, God never left them. It says in verse 10-13 that after the seventy years were completed, God will come to His people and fulfill His promise to bring them back. He says, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God then tells His people they will find Him when they seek Him with their whole heart. There He will be found.

God was there for His people no matter the circumstance they were in. It might have been hard for them to see Him working, but He was there. They were being encouraged to not give up seeking Him when times were hard.

Just because our life changes and we have to pivot from our plans does not mean our drive to seek Jesus changes. When life gets chaotic our instinct is to take control. When we do that, our focus goes off of Jesus and onto our troubles. We no longer seek Him; we seek a quick fix. Trouble comes our way, and we think there is no way Jesus is still with us, He is. He is there and we will see Him when we seek Him. He wants to show His mighty acts to us, but we will only recognize His works if we are looking for Him. The world has a way of blinding us when we are only focused on the things around us. It takes a commitment to seek Jesus in all circumstances. It’s a tough commitment that is well worth the reward.

Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you.” If we ask for His guidance, He will give it. If we seek Him, He will be there to comfort us. If we knock, He will open the door for us to walk in. Don’t let Jesus be a hobby that comes and goes when life gets busy or tough. Seek Him always. If we seek Him always, even those tough days that look hopeless will feel easier because He is carrying us through them. Life on our own is difficult and impossible. We were made to walk with Jesus, not in front of Him. Better yet, why don’t you let Him walk in front of you.

“Glory is his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.” Psalms 105:3

“Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.” Proverbs 28:5

“The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” Psalms 34:10

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” 1 Chronicles 16:11

Digging Deeper:

What does seeking Jesus look like for you?

How have you allowed your walk with Christ to become just another hobby instead of a life long relationship?

Where in your life do you need to make a commitment to Jesus?