“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” – Deuteronomy 4:29
God knows the human heart! In a moment of triumph, as Israel was on the verge of finally entering the promised land, God knew that it wouldn’t be long before their hearts strayed away from Him and pursued false gods. So God promised that even when they strayed badly and suffered His discipline for their unfaithfulness, once they sincerely turned back to Him, He would be right there to embrace them.
This promise remains true today! Though we love Jesus, our hearts and minds will often pursue other passions with greater zeal than we pursue the Lord. Throughout our lives, we’ll raise certain things to a place of lordship in our lives (perhaps money, career, family, sports, pleasure, entertainment, safety, comfort, health, leisure, fame, accomplishment, status, or credentials, just to name a few possibilities). When we do, we’ll eventually experience God’s loving discipline to get our attention and draw us back to Him.
The good news is that when we recognize our error and turn to seek God, He’s always there! When we repent of our sin and cry out to God to forgive us, He always will. Christ died and rose from the dead so that all who believe in Him will receive forgiveness and reconciliation when we honestly seek it. So, if you feel distant from God today, or you recognize that you’ve let other things come to dominate your thoughts and feelings, turn back to God. Seek Him in the name of Christ. Seek Him in repentance, in worship, in prayer, in His Word, in meditation. Seek Him, and you will find Him!