What Candles Do

Do you ever have those days when you try to pray, but it seems like God just isn’t listening? What can we do when those moments come? We might be tempted to give up in despair, or we can choose to push through and keep seeking. I encourage you: be a seeker!

God’s Word has plenty to say about seeking—and for good reason. We all go through times when it seems like God is closing His ears to our cries. I think we need to be reminded to keep seeking Him—instead of just focusing on our feelings or our circumstances.

In Psalm 105, the psalmist urges us to praise the Lord and tell others what He has done. When we glory in His name, our hearts can let go of the things that trouble us. We can rejoice as we seek Him, no matter what surrounds us. This psalm reminds us to “look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always†(verse 4).

Psalm 119 urges us to keep God’s commands and seek Him with all our hearts. We may not always feel God’s presence, but we can still choose to seek Him and obey Him regardless of how we feel. One of the main ways God reveals Himself to us is through the Bible. He invites us to hide His Word in our hearts and meditate on His ways. When we open His Word, we can pray along with the psalmist, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law†(verse 18). God loves to answer this prayer, and He longs for us to come close to Him (Luke 13:34).

Many people like to quote Jeremiah 29:11, when God speaks to His people exiled in Babylon, saying, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.†However, the following verses are also powerful: “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you†(verses 12-14). God promises that, when we come to Him, He will listen to us. When we seek Him, we will find Him.

Jesus echoes this amazing promise in Luke 11 when He says, “Seek and you will find†(verse 9). And then, only four chapters later in Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables about how God seeks us. When you feel like you just can’t seek anymore, think about how God seeks after you and pursues you. He never gives up. He is always waiting for you with open arms. • Savannah Coleman

• How might reflecting on God’s passion for you give you the courage to seek after Him?

“For the Son of Man [Jesus] came to seek and to save the lost.†Luke 19:10 (NIV)

Read Verses:

2Cor.4.5-2Cor.4.6|Phil.2.14-Phil.2.15|Matt.5.16