A Time to Seek

12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.1

I wrote the other day about Jeremiah 29. It is also the passage I taught our students on Wednesday. But two verses have really stuck with me and I want to look at them for just a minute today. Jeremiah 29:11 is easily one of the most famous verses from the Bible. But the two verses after it are necessary to understand verse 11 and today, they provide an amazing challenge for every believer in this time.

Most of us have had our “time” changed by this pandemic. Most people are working with considerably more free-time than normal. Netflix, Apple, Hulu, Amazon, and other streaming platforms are putting out tons of entertainment trying to help Americans and people around the world get through their social isolation. But what if Christians used some of this time on their personal walk with God.

Too many people who claim to be Christians have forgotten that being a Christian is not about going to church (though I maintain that is important) but it is about a personal walk with God. Going to church is ONE part of what it looks like to live as a Christian.

Verse 12 challenges us to “call” upon God. Use this time to spend real, significant time in prayer. Use this time to call out to God about the things that matter most to you and to listen to God’s voice. He promises that if you pray he will hear you.

Verse 13 challenge us to “seek” him. Use this time to spend substantial time in God’s word. Use some of the time we now find hanging around to read scripture. the Bible is the primary way that God speaks to his people. If you want to seek him, you have to seek him in his word. He promises that if you seek him, you will find him.

Use this time to seek God and call on him. Use this time to add depth to your faith. He promises that if you seek and call, you will find him and he will answer.

If you’re interested in challenging yourself, let me know. I would love to be a help for you. If you can get some friends together we can start some zoom groups to help challenge each other. You can email me (jd@fbcmonahans.com) or text me (432.940.7303).

¹ The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Je 29:12–13.I wrote