And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV).

REFLECT:
There is a particular game quite popular with children called ‘Hide and seek.’ Ask every child and they will tell you how very excited they get when they play this game, and even more exciting for them is when they get to involve grown-ups.

The true reason why kids like this game may not be known as such. It may be the factor of the element of surprise, or the probability of just taking a chance, the likelihood that something may or may not happen, and the exhilaration of the accomplishment of being able to search out something or someone.

Bottom line is that kids generally like to hide and so this game just depicts who they are but it also depicts human nature. Don’t we just like to hide everything about ourselves? Our true intentions, our character, the things we have done in secret. We always want to look perfect, prim, and proper to the outside world. To achieve this, concealment should be the order of the day. However, we forget that nothing stays hidden that will not be eventually brought to light (Luke 8:17).

This is where we as adults differ from little children. Children are very open, transparent, and sincere. Watching children play their game of ‘Hide and Seek,’ we observe the most sincere and genuine intentions in them to seek and search out whomever they are looking for. When they eventually find this person the expression of joy they exhibit is priceless.

It is this childlike attitude Jesus admonishes us to adopt in Matthew 18:3 if we have to experience God’s best in our lives ” And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (KJV)

Our Bible verse of the day expands this vision as relating to our walk with God. Our pursuit of God should not be a half-hearted seeking, nor should it be for ulterior and selfish motives. Rather it should come from a genuine and sincere need to know God more deeply.

Even though the whole hide and seek game children play has to do with hiding and searching out an opponent, this is not what God Almighty, our Heavenly Father is doing or putting across in this Bible verse. God does not hide from us, nor does He intend to, rather sin has made God obscure from us. It sets a barrier between God and us.

This is what our Bible verse for today tries to explain, urging us to go past that sin barrier to seek God out, and in doing this we must do it with all intentionality, with our whole heart and mind, adopting the same zeal, sincerity, openness, and genuineness that children demonstrate while playing the hide and seek game.

Furthermore, there is a reward attached to this Bible verse. God promises us that when we go all out to seek Him, He will be found of us. This means that He will make Himself available to us. This is where we find out how insufficient and inaccurate the game of ‘Hide and Seek’ is to seek out God.

This is because we don’t find Him based on our own will, ability, or wisdom, but rather because we have made the choice or chosen to get rid of the sin that stands in our way preventing us from knowing who our Heavenly Father is. When we get sin out of the war, He then avails Himself to us, He causes us to see Him more clearly. HALLELUJAH!!

Therefore, let us be encouraged to come to God, no matter how far gone we are in sin. The solution is to repent of every sin and accept Jesus. When we do this we will find God waiting on the other side. He has always been available to us, just as He promised, and can never lie for He is a good God.

When we acknowledge our sin(s), repent, and accept Jesus, He pulls down the veil from before us and brings us into closer intimacy with the Father.

Ebimobo W. Obasi

PLEASE PRAY ALONG:

A Prayer to Seek After God

FATHER GOD, thank You for revealing Yourself to the world, and me. Thank You for choosing to have a personal relationship with me. Today, please help me to seek You with my whole heart. And as I draw closer to You, please deepen my relationship with You. In JESUS MIGHTY NAME AMEN.