I Write Jesus

“You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart” – Jeremiah 29:13

I write this piece with an open and emotional heart. In my previous blog, I wrote about how I found God in what seemed to be a season of emptiness, however little did I know that taking salvation fully upon myself would render me a witness to the truth and delight of God’s word.

A promise spoken in exile

God speaks in the book of Jeremiah through the prophet Jeremiah to the Israelites during one of the darkest periods in their history. Jeremiah prophesied to a nation that had turned away from God and was facing judgment, exile, and deep uncertainty. The Israelites had been taken into Babylonian captivity, far from their homeland, their temple destroyed. In the midst of this brokenness, God assured them that He had not abandoned them. It is in this context that God promises: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart”. (Jeremiah 29:13)

This has to be one of my favourite verses in the Bible because it shows the heart of God towards His people. Even in their disobedience, God did not turn away from them. Instead, He invited them into a deeper, more sincere relationship with Him, through seeking Him with all their hearts. This verse serves as a powerful confirmation that God’s word is tangible and true. When you seek God with all your heart you find Him.

An open and willing heart

I sought God and I found Him; I came to Him with great curiosity regarding His word and most times grappling with scripture but through the help of the Holy Spirit comes understanding. Through my willing heart, God lifted up the veil of spiritual blindness. When you are intentional about building a relationship with Christ and growing in your knowledge, He truly responds to a person that desires to know Him. This experience echoes Paul’s prayer to the church in Ephesus, where he prays to God  ^“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He Has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints”. (Ephesians 1:17-18)

Seeking God with my whole heart did not come without a cost. It required a death to self this included ideas I once held tightly and placed at the center and versions of myself that felt familiar but no longer aligned with truth. There were moments where obedience felt uncomfortable and surrender felt costly, yet in letting go, God met me with more of Himself. What I lost in control, I gained in peace.

From spiritual blindness to sight

When you find God, you start to feel as though you were blind but now you can see. I am in awe of God’s kindness and mercy that He granted me spiritual sight. For Scripture reminds us that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, keeping them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). He continues to reveal Himself to those who seek Him with all their hearts.

I am better positioned in life, because I now walk in the full awareness of Whose I am and who I am. Since fully experiencing God, my approach to life has been such a delight because God’s power is continually at work in me and in the lives of those I encounter. The more I learn about God, the more I want to make Him known to others. I now understand what Jesus meant when He said; He is the way, the truth and the life and no one can come to the Father except through Him. Through this understanding, I have come to see that life carries meaning beyond the surface it is an assignment.

No matter what space we occupy whether the marketplace, academia, politics, ministry or elsewhere, God desires to use us and commission us to proclaim the gospel. I carry great confidence in all that I do because I know Whose I am, I know my Maker, and I understand both the mandate and the assignment upon my life.

This confidence is not rooted in my own abilities or strengths, but in the assurance that I am sent and called for His mandate. Whether in the marketplace, in daily conversations, or in spaces where faith is seldom spoken of, I find myself grounded in the knowledge that God has placed me there intentionally.

Delighting in the things of God

My heart is filled with immense joy and passion when I partake in the things that concern God. I delight in conversation about God, His word, His people and His creation. God has not been shy to reveal what a gentleman He is, in that He only takes you as deeply into the understanding of who He is as much as you desire to go. In my walk with God, I am particularly passionate about young people experiencing God for themselves and having them come to the understanding that they are not of this world and that their lives, too, are an assignment.

If you find yourself reading this from a place of uncertainty, weariness, or longing, know this: God does not hide Himself from those who sincerely seek Him. You do not need perfect faith, perfect words, or perfect knowledge, He only requires a willing heart. Being honest in your pursuit, ask honest questions and sit with His word, I promise He has capacity and is faithful to reveal Himself.

God has indeed truly captured my entire heart, and I find great joy in knowing that I will continue to walk with Him and remain a lifelong student of His word.

Found by grace. Living to make Him known.