When we Seek

“The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you.  There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him.” (Deuteronomy 4:27-30 NIV)

We all find ourselves in strange surroundings at some point. We may travel or move to distant lands where we don’t understand the culture or the language.  It may simply be to another city and we don’t understand how to get around. We need to make friends. We need to feel like we belong.

We fall apart when we take hold of the culture we enter and embrace it, allowing it to change us, instead of bringing Christ to the culture and allowing Jesus to promote change. God told us this would happen. He said we would begin to assimilate.  But he also said that then we need to seek Him where we are, with all our heart and with all our soul and allow him to change us once again.

It is when God changes us that we do the most good.  I believe this is how God chooses missionaries.  God puts a passion in the hearts of his servants for a nation or a tribe or a people and he lets the spark smolder; building the fire slowly.  When the servant seeks God for direction, the smoldering spark is given the air it needs to burst into flames, creating a desire and a need in us to go and serve.

Our God, you are a great God and I am amazed at what you do in my life. Take me and mold me into something you can use. Break my heart wide open so that there is room for compassion and love for people who don’t know you. God, I want to be your hands and feet.