“Seek, and you will find” says the Lord in Matthew 7:7. Paul noted, “That they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). Have you been seeking God lately? Do you pursue a relationship with your Maker that is life-changing and substantial? While it is true that God has done plenty to seek and save us, He also expects us to play an active part in accepting the Divine into our lives. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). So what does it look like to seek God in a way that actually leads us to Him?

We must seek Him diligently

“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). Do not give up and compromise. Seek God until you find Him, not until you get tired of looking. Seek Him until you have made yourself what He wants you to be, not until you become what you think you should be. Like all things that are worth the work, a relationship with God is not accomplished by accident.

We also need to avoid the trap of thinking that once we have “found” God we need not exert any more effort. Salvation is not an event but a process – a lifelong devotion to the cause of Christ. We encounter peaks and valleys, pitfalls and victories. Sometimes we fail God, but we keep moving toward the goal. Part of seeking Him diligently is remembering that being a saved person requires daily work. “This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27). The phrase “to keep oneself” reminds us that we could lose our salvation at any moment if we fail to keep up our guard against the stains of worldliness. We must never lose focus, as some of the Christians in Galatia did; “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness” (Galatians 5:4-5).

Seek Him Humbly

Pride is a great hindrance to those seeking God. It is one of the reasons that Christ loves children so much: they are teachable. We need to be like children in our attitudes toward God (1 Corinthians 14:20, Luke 18:16-17) – innocent, open, humble, receptive, and never self-important and critical. Realize that you do not know as much as you think and accept criticism and advice with meekness. “The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin” (Proverbs 13:3). Albert Guinon once said, “There are people who, instead of listening to what is being said to them, are already listening to what they are going to say themselves.”

Seek Him Honestly

Many people come to the Bible with their minds already made up. Having an open mind, however, allows us to receive the Word with a mind toward the truth. The person who believes he knows everything is the person who knows the least! “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). This is likely why the Pharisees and chief priests had such a hard time understanding the message of the Lord. “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, and say, ‘We played the flute for you and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend to tax-gatherers and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her children” (Matthew 11:16-19). Jesus’ contemporaries had certain expectations about the Messiah (John 6:15), and when He was not what they wanted, the Son was crucified. They wanted Him to be their king, but He offered a kingdom that was not definable by their standards. To seek God honestly means:

  • Accepting Him for what He is, not what we want Him to be;
  • Obeying His message, even when it contradicts our preconceptions or prejudices;
  • Leaving my ulterior motives at the door, because Jesus can see through my pretenses (Matthew 22:18, 9:4, Luke 9:47);
  • Seeking because I want to know truth, not disprove it.