1532AFC080915 – Seeking for God
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Isaiah 55:6 – Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;
Deuteronomy 4:29 – Yet there too you shall seek the LORD, your God; and you shall indeed find him when you search after him with your whole heart and your whole soul.
Ephesians 4:32 – 32 and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea. Maluhia ana ke huakaʻi. Much love to you, Belovéd. Peace be with you. Have you been looking for God? Do you know someone who is trying to find God? Is there anyone we know who is trying to search for God’s presence? Where ya gonna go and who ya gonna call? What is the GOAL, the TARGET, the DESTINATION you want if you are seeking out, searching for, God? More importantly what are you going to do if you find God? If you can’t answer that last question, then I have to ask you, why are you searching for God? Why are you aiming to score some time with him? Here’s a little story about making something or someone a target.
Dart Test…
A young lady named Sally relates an experience she had in a seminary class, given by her teacher, Dr. Smith, a man who was known for his elaborate object lessons.
One particular day, Sally walked into the seminary and knew they were in for a fun day.
On the wall was a big target, and on a nearby table were many darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person’s picture.
Sally’s friend drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of a former friend, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. Sally was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved. Dr. Smith put up the first drawing over the bull’s-eye target hanging on the wall
The class lined up and began throwing darts. With each new drawing, Dr. Smith left the bull’s-eye in place, gave the student his or her drawing, and then the mounted the next drawing. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their target-drawings were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when Dr. Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats. As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn’t have a chance to throw any darts at her target, Dr. Smith began removing the bull’s-eye target from the wall.
Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face, and even His eyes were pierced. Despite all the damage, his serene face was still recognizable. Sally thought it even seemed to have an expression of sadness. Dr. Smith said only these words: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40.
No other words were necessary; tears filled eyes of the students who were focused only on the picture of Christ. They understood. Jesus is the hidden face of everyone you see. That is where God can be found.
Look beyond the face you see.
Look into the heart of me.
Look for Jesus everywhere
And you can find Him anywhere.
The invitation to seek the Lord in this passage from Isaiah is drawn from the references to the mercy of a God whose “ways” are completely mysterious. Just a few hundred words before this in 53:1 Isaiah said, “Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” Isaiah is telling us that what he has already said seems incredible, but what he is about to divulge is even more so.
The word used for seek in this passage means to seek a deity carefully in prayer and worship. It is to pay diligent, persistent attention to being in the presence of God. The word used for while (ἡνίκα) translates as “at which time,” as in “whenever it happens.” The implication is “when or where are you not in the presence of God?”
This Bible verse comes up during the Parable (or Discourse) of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46) also called “The Judgment of the Nations.” It is a hard passage for many people because it quite clearly illustrates the value of meritorious action. Obey God’s command to love God and Neighbor, and eternal reward awaits you. The same passage illustrates the value of despicable action. Disobey God’s command to love God and Neighbor, and eternal punishment awaits you. At the very least, the division between blessing and curse might be based on one’s response to the people and message of the Gospel as presented by The Church. While it is true that Salvation comes only through Grace, it also appears that conduct has an influence on the outcome of Salvation, and for some folks this sets them up for a condition called scrupulosity.
Scrupulosity is an exaggeration of normal, healthy guilt. It is a pathological condition in which one obsesses over unworthiness about religious or moral actions and decisions. If you are mortally afraid that you might end up heading off with the Goats to eternal punishment because you didn’t give that inebriated panhandler a dollar, you are probably taking yourself too seriously. It’s really not all that complicated.
Be where God is and you will be near him. God is in your heart and in the heart of your neighbors. Acknowledge his presence by serving him and serving your neighbor. In this you will be honoring him by honoring his commands. Matthew 22:37-40 – Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
When we understand that Jesus becomes the target of our anger, our snappish comebacks, our selfish and prideful arguments, then we understand that – although we think we are seeking God where he may be found – we are actually ignoring and sometimes even insulting him. It would be a wise choice to reject throwing darts in favor of catching hearts.
In the passage from Ephesians, Paul is telling those Christians Brothers and sisters: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. Otherwise, you are making Jesus the target of your imperfections. Is that how you want to connect with God? No, I didn’t think it was. But how do we know we’re making that connection?
Have you ever been just sitting there and suddenly you feel like doing something nice for someone you care about a little? …THAT’S GOD…He talks to you through the Holy Spirit and says “Care more!”
Have you ever been down and out and nobody seems to be around for you to talk to? …THAT’S GOD …He wants you to talk to Him and tell him you’re willing to place your life in his hands.
Have you ever been thinking about somebody that you haven’t seen in a long time and then next thing you know you see them or receive a phone call from them? …THAT’S GOD…there is no such thing as “coincidence” when you’re open to God’s call.
Have you ever received something wonderful that you didn’t even ask for, like money in the mail, a debt that had mysteriously been cleared, or a beautiful hand-made gift from a dear friend? …THAT’S GOD…He places in you the desires of your heart…
Have you ever been in a situation and you had no clue how it is going to get better, but now you look back on it and realize the fear and danger is gone? …THAT’S GOD…He passes with us through tribulation to see a brighter day.
When can the Lord be found? Better to ask, “When is he ever not to be found?”
Where can the Lord be found? Better to ask, “Where is there any place you can be that God is not there with you?”
How can the Lord be found? Try Matthew 7:7 – Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
God is in your heart, in your neighbor, in your church, in your school (no matter how hard they try to keep him out!), God is anywhere and everywhere you look for him, as well as all the places you think he can’t see you. You just have to chase after him until he catches you.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!
Share-a-Prayer
Many thanks and blessings for my good buddy M. Bee whose unstinting generosity points right back to God every day. Now she’s got a couple of grandchildren in their teens (and she’s a tad bit older than me), and your prayerful support will help her keep up that positive energy they need.
Pray also for people being ground down by economic and health problems. Ask God to tap them on the shoulder and show them he’s right there for them to find him.
Always and all ways loving you!
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
