Searching for God

From one of the blogs I read, I'm sharing a story from their weekend post:

An ancient tale from India describes a young man who was seeking God. He went to a wise old sage for help. "How can I find God?" he asked the old man. The old man took him to a nearby river where they waded into the deep water. Soon the water was up just under their chins. Suddenly the old man grabbed the young man by the neck and pushed him under the water, holding him down until he was flailing the water in desperation. Finally, the old man released him. The young seeker was coughing and gasping for air. Reaching the bank, he was furious! "What did that have to do with my finding God?" The old man asked him quietly, "While you were under the water what did you want more than anything else?" The young man thought for a moment and then answered, "I wanted air. I wanted air more than anything else!" The old man replied, "When you want God as much as you wanted air, you will find him." To pursue God means to long for Him with every fiber of our being. God promises to meet us in worship when we come seeking Him.

So what about us?  Are we that determined in our search for God?  When we desire to find and know and experience the God of the universe, will we want to find him like a drowning man wants to find air?  Will we want His presence  as much as we want the presence our favorite movie star, or sports celebrity, or TV idol.

Think with me for a moment about your search for God.  For some of us it cannot be described as a search because God has been with us from day one.  We had Bible story books from which we were read stories about all the important Bible characters.  Church attendance was an automatic thing on our weekly calendar, and we were there any time the doors were open.  It was like God was a constant guest in our house, present for every meal, with us as we worked, played, and even slept.

It didn't take too much of that for me to learn how it's sometimes possible for us to know ABOUT God without really knowing God.  That's when we experience life and it's perplexities and we find ourselves needing and looking for solutions.  So when I tell you about how regular God was mentioned and talked about in our house, I readily confess there came a time for me when I knew I needed to pursue God like the drowning man needed air.

Perhaps that is part of maturity.  But the truth is, until we find God and learn to experience his presence with us and in us, we will still be threshing in the water, needing air, and trying to save ourselves. 

1 Chronicles 28: 9 If you seek him, he will be found by you. (NKJV)

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