I just believe that all who seek will find.

I think sometimes folks are trying to hard to “find” God; trying too hard to hear Him and feel His presence. We often try to humanize His presence by using terms like hear, touch, and feel. Perhaps we should look for other ways to see God and to feel Him.

Ever stopped to watch the innocent smile of a newborn baby? Or sat and watched the trees, with their branches stretched toward heaven, swaying to the song of a gentle breeze? Ever wonder why God chose a rainbow?

In fact, I can look all around me and see that God loves me, because He created all these things just like He created me. I just love to find the wonder in God’s creation and it is often in those times that I feel closest to God.

I See Your Tears

I see your tears
I hear your cries
I know your fears
I understand your whys

And as I came
to comfort and hold
You ran from Me
Into the rain and cold

A failure in your eyes
a treasure in Mine
You say you've faded
I see you shine

You are weak
but I am strong
Come home little one
to where you belong

.....peace.....


Shell, you want to find GOD? You have tried and it didn't work. Now what? Well, I guess we should start with why it didn't work. Why didn't GOD come when you asked Him to?

Now scripture says that all that call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Not just the worthy or those who show adequate repentance. All. Even you. But you did but nothing happened. This is a problem.

On the one hand you have the promise of GOD. On the other hand you have your feelings. Which can you depend on? How reliable are the promises of GOD? Has He ever lied to you? How reliable are your feelings? Have they ever lied to you?

I once knew well a young man who faced a similar situation. He had walked away from GOD. Not just quietly but ripped up his bibles and told GOD to leave him alone. He was done with GOD, religion, church and he committed himself fully to the pleasures of this life. Three and a half years later this man walked into a Christian coffeehouse, listened to a concert, and then went upstairs to pray. He felt nothing. But he believed GOD had heard his prayer.

And then he went to get beat up for things he had done. And he did get beat up. And later that night he returned to the same place where he had gotten beaten up and when the people returned he asked them to talk. They did and he got to share with them what Jesus had done in his life earlier that night (even though he did not feel it). He apologized for what he had done and asked that it all stop. They agreed.
 
For the next few days the only thing he felt was where a chain with a lock on the end of it left its' imprint down his spine. But the feelings did come eventually and it was like it had been before. Only better because now the young man was so much more thankful than he had been before because of how much he had been forgiven. And he had a much better idea of just how much GOD really did love him. I see this young man every time (he is much older these days) I look in a mirror.

Shell, earlier my eight year old wanted to wrestle. I told him let me finish this and I showed him your post. I asked him how does someone find GOD. He said pray. I said she did but GOD did not come. He said GOD told Noah to build an ark and so he did. Children see things so simply.

You want to find GOD. Build an ark. Noah's ark was built by faith not sight. Noah grabbed a hammer and a board and started building without (what some say) ever having seen rain. And no idea how he would gather all the animals. He just took GOD at His word. He obeyed GOD on day one. And day two. And day three. Eventually he saw all the promises of GOD fulfilled. But would never had seen anything unless he had started with that hammer and board on day one.

Shell, today is day one. GOD made a promise. Trust him with your heart not your feelings. I promise you feelings will come as surely as the sun rises and gas prices. Dawn is nearing to a new part of your life. But you will never see it if you hide behind your feelings and not the promises of GOD.

.....peace.....

In a story about Elijah in 1 Kings 19 verses 11-13 "The LORD said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.' Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' "

In Pslams 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God;"

And to quote portions of a devotion I did for a women's group when I was talking about spiritual gifts.

...And for some reason, I just suddenly dropped the knife. I fell to my knees and cried out to God. 'Where are you? Why would you let these things happen to me? Where’s the God that is suppose to take care of His children? Don’t you even care?' And I just cried for a long time. I began to have a warming sense that there is something in this world that I am suppose to do. And because I am here today, you know I didn’t follow through and that warming sense that I am suppose to do something has stayed with me throughout my life.

For the next 20 years or so I struggled through life. Always searching for God, and a better life. I struggled with love and acceptance. I struggled with family life. I struggled with employment and money. I struggled with religions of all types. I struggled with my talents. And I broke down more than once crying out for God.

But it wasn’t until I stopped crying out and gave control of my life to God that I really found Him, and was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a book by C. S. Lewis, this process of surrender is described as repentance, and means to unlearn all the self-conceit & self-will we’ve trained ourselves into; to stop behaving as if we belong to ourselves. We belong to God and God has control. And to use bits and pieces of songs…sometimes you really need to 'get down on your knees and pray', ask God to 'take control of the wheel', and be reminded that 'we were made to love Him'. ... Now when I look back, I realize that God was there all the time. God gave me 'gifts' that I needed, when I needed them. God really gave me all the tools that I needed to survive my life, to know God, and to learn how to live fully in His presence. "For God has said, 'I will never leave you: I will never abandon you.' ” Hebrews 13:5

The point I'm getting at is: it's okay to yell and scream at God...to question Him. (Job did.) But God doesn't make himself known in the power of things (storms and fire), or even in the constant searching as I did for Him. He is always there and makes Himself known in the little things that is so easy to overlook. As the Pslam says, "Be still and know that I am God." Once you clear your mind from the day's activities and be a blank slate for God to enter, He WILL make Himself known to you. Not always right away, but with patience and persistence.

There's a song I've heard and can not remember who sings it or the title, but she sings about not seeing God or feeling God's presence, and she has to trust the unseen and just know that He is there. That would be a wonderful song for you to listen to.

Sometimes, we have to empty ourselves completely so that we can be filled with God. Something I keep on my computer that may help... "His Thoughts! His Words! His Actions! His Will! (Not Mine!)"