Seeking Him

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.” Luke 2:30-32

This year, I have a group of students who really likes to try to pull one over on me. At one point, I have to admit, they were pretty successful. They entered the room as I was finishing something at my computer and when I quickly finished, I realized that one of them was missing. But I was almost certain I had seen him come in the room. After I stepped to the hallway to check on him and then re-entered the classroom, the giggles gave it away. He had crawled under a table in the back of my room, pulled a chair in front of him, and sat there in hiding while I searched.

Now, of course, after that attempt was such a success, for the next couple of weeks I regularly caught one or the other of them trying to hide again. But I was on to their game now! Now, I know exactly what to watch for. I know where to look, too.

Sometimes I am tempted to think that God is a little like that -- hiding from sight so that it is difficult to see Him. I mean, I have never experienced a visible presence or an audible voice -- no burning bush or “angel of the Lord” appearance.

But I know that God clearly says if we seek Him, we will find him. (See Jeremiah 29:13 for just one example.) God promises to be found when we truly set our hearts to finding Him. But we have to seek. We have to be looking. For me, it seems like this is a practiced habit. I am learning what to watch for and where to look. I am learning to be a better “seeker.”

In the Christmas story in Matthew 2, we are told that wise men from the east traveled long and far, following a star that had appeared. They came to Jerusalem looking for the newborn King of the Jews. I’ve always wondered exactly how they knew the meaning of that star’s appearance. We don’t really know, for sure. But it strikes me that the Jews had not noticed this sign. Surely the star was visible to them, as well, but they had to ask these foreigners for details of the star’s appearance. It seems they had not noticed this star, nor did they know the reason for its appearance.

Not that there weren’t any Jews who were waiting and watching for signs of the coming Messiah. Luke tells us of two by name who saw the baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph at the temple, Anna and Simeon. These two both recognized that Jesus was the Messiah and proclaimed the news to those in the temple. We are told that Simeon had been told that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah, and so he was watching and waiting for that promise to come true. And Anna never left the temple courts, fasting and praying, and when she saw Jesus, she began to tell everyone who was waiting for the redemption of Israel about this child.

And yet, the religious leaders missed it. The political leaders missed it. Many of the people missed it. Why? In my opinion, it was because they weren’t looking for Him. They weren’t seeking. They weren’t watching and waiting like the Magi, Simeon, and Anna were.

I feel like this is a lesson God is trying to teach me. In those moments when I question, “God, where are You in this?” I need to stop and focus on seeking Him. The Magi would never have seen the star if they didn’t spend some time looking at the sky. I cannot presume to see God working around me if I never stop to look for Him. If I never spend time in His word and in prayer, I am not likely to find Him. But I know I can rely on His promise -- if I seek Him, I will find Him. And so will you.

Father God, thank You for making Yourself known. Thank You for showing Yourself to us. Jesus, thank You for coming to earth to live and to die that we might know You and be reconciled to You. Help us to consciously seek You, and as we do, teach us where to look and how to find You. Guide us as we search for Your hand at work in us and around us each day.