Seeking God!

Finding God, receiving His wisdom, finding His will shouldn't be as hard as we make it. Especially when we consider that God is a Revealer, a Broadcaster, a Seeker Himself. Luke 15 gives us three pictures of how diligent God is in seeking us out. Jesus is the Master Seeker and we can take cues from these stories on how we can seek Him. Three things that I've learned when I need to hear from God:

1. Change my routine. The first story shows a shepherd who has to leave the familiar place or path in order to find a stray sheep. If you are looking for something new, don't go to the same old familiar places. If we search in the same old places we will probably get the same old results. Its easy to get into a spiritual rut which often makes it hard to see whats going on outside our rut. And often we don't even realize that we are in a rut until we get outside of it. So try this. If you are used to a rural or suburban area, why not take a ride into the city? Spend a day walking the streets, observing people, listening to God, seeing what He sees. If you are in the city, head for the hills away from the noise and the hustle. If you are use to a "prayer closet" go to a park and experience the wide open spaces. Does your church meet in a school or theater? Then why not find a sanctuary where you can lay things at the altar? Elijah went to a cave, Moses to a mountain and Peter to a rooftop. Find a new place to hear from God.

The shepherd also had to leave the 99 sheep to find the one. Sometimes we need to seek outside our circle of friends or sphere of influence. Sometimes those closest to us are not objective and could possibly be in the rut with us. A new voice can share new insight. Be careful with this. Make sure that you turn to someone you trust and respect.

Another way to break our routine that is not implied in this story is fasting. Don't underestimate the value of this. Whatever you decide to refrain from (lunch, TV, radio, ice coffee, etc.) creates space and opportunity for God to speak. It's a worthwhile change of routine.

This has gone longer than I expected. Its the preacher in me. I'll share the other 2 later.