Seeking God

Seek and you will find. (Matthew 7.7) We are all looking for something. Some look for love. Others look for money and power. Still others look for peace and quiet. Look deep into your heart and you will realize your heart is seeking God, even if you are not.

At that time, the report concerning Jesus spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. The disciples of John told him of all these things. And John, calling to him two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?'” In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many that were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me.” When the messengers of John had gone, he began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” When they heard this all the people and the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John; but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

Luke 7.17-30

Jesus asked the crowd, “What did you go out into the wilderness to behold?” What did their hearts desire? Was it a prophet? Was it a king? Was it a sign from God. In today’s reading we learn that our hearts seek all these things. Deep down, we want it all, but God always offers us something different.

It isn’t because He doesn’t love us. He knows our hearts’ desire before we were ever born. He created us, and left the desire for Him in our subconscious. He knows that we don’t always know what our hearts desire. We think it is something earthly, but then we eventually realize that worldly things never satisfy us. There must be more.

There is more. There is God. In the Gospel we hear that God healed them from all sorts of diseases, but they were not satisfied. He chased away demons and they were not satisfied. He performed all sorts of miracles and signs that He was God, and they were still not satisfied.

We will never be satisfied until we seek God for His sake and not for our own. So long as we are trying to satisfy our fallen passions, we will never succeed. Our hearts can only be satisfied by God, and He is waiting for us in the Church as He promised Moses.

This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet you to speak with you. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory. So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. I will also consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me as priests.

Exodus 29.42-44

God promised He would be in the Temple to meet with the people. His promised is fulfilled the Orthodox Church today. On the Holy Altar in every Orthodox Church is the Body and Blood of Christ, His real physical presence. If we seek God, then just as He promised in the Old Testament, we can find Him in the Church.

That doesn’t mean He is not in the forest or in the faces of the poor. Through the Holy Spirit God is everywhere present and fills all things. But He is PHYSICALLY present in Holy Communion on the Altar Table.

Our hearts desire God. Don’t deny the true desire of your heart. Find the nearest Orthodox Church and go inside. Even if there is not a service going on, you will be in the physical presence of God and He will meet with you.