Recently, my 3 year old son Bryce lost a little piece for one of his toys. After he looked around and in the toy box, he came to me with his request that I find this little toy piece.

Now if you knew our family room and knew the overwhelming number of toys that have somehow, over time, engulfed and overtaken this small area, you would know that finding this little toy piece would certainly be no easy task!

Of course Bryce was very persistent because his heart was set on finding this lost toy piece. Now… please note…I didn’t say his heart was set on searching…which was the necessary action that needed to be implemented to find this lost toy piece.

No, searching takes time…his heart was set on the final outcome which was finding this piece at that very instant and having it in his possession right away. He knew what he wanted and he wanted it yesterday if you know what I mean! …and so searching was not really in his vocabulary.

Well, I was not too thrilled in taking on this task…did I mention the ridiculous amount of toys that occupied this space? …but I was determined and focused to seek and find my son’s lost toy piece.

After what seemed like…let’s just say a long time…and after listening to Bryce’s anxious  repeated requests of wanting this toy piece…because you know how kids like to repeat themselves just in case you didn’t hear them the first time! …I found the little toy piece! Yes a thank you Jesus moment!

Have you ever found yourself searching and seeking for something…but unlike the recovery of Bryce’s little toy piece…you have come up empty handed, abandoned your search, and pretty much given up?

What about when you search and seek God when you are going through a difficult circumstance?

What about when you search and seek God for answers and all you get is silence? Do you abandon your search and give up?

Can you imagine Bryce’s reaction if I searched for his little toy piece for a short time and gave up? Well, God doesn’t want us to give up…

God wants us to seek Him wholeheartedly…with all our heart! And check this out! It says that if we look for Him wholeheartedly, we will find Him!

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:13NLT

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13NASB

If you notice, this scripture comes after the encouraging scripture of hope…Jeremiah 29:11…which I absolutely love!

11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

To give you a little more info…this scripture passage in Jeremiah is referring to God’s people who were captive in Babylon. God is showing us here that He did not forget His people and was continuing to prepare His people…with Him at the center. Although the exiles were in a difficult place and time, they need not despair! Why? …Because they had God’s presence, the privilege of prayer, and God’s grace. God can be sought and found when we seek him wholeheartedly.

What does it mean to seek God wholeheartedly? One commentary says…

“when ye shall search for me with all your heart; which, as Calvin rightly observes, does not design perfection, but integrity and sincerity; when they draw nigh with a true heart, and call upon him in truth, and search for him with eagerness, with a hearty desire to find him, as men search for gold, and silver, and hid treasure.”  Gill’s Exposition

I believe there are 3 steps in seeking God wholeheartedly.

1) Faith

2) Focus

3) Follow-Through

7Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Sometimes the seeking time is a silent time…where we may have no indication that God is really there or that he hears us. Sound familiar? But we must still believe and have faith that He is with us…because He is! …and He hears us…because He does!

For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5b NLT

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. Jeremiah 29:12 NIV

Faith

Seeking God wholeheartedly takes faith.

It is in God’s silence that your faith is very much needed and necessary!

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 NIV

Bryce and I had confidence…assurance…faith…that what we were seeking and searching for…his lost toy piece…was somewhere in the toy mess.

And so we too must have the confidence…assurance…faith…that when we seek God that He is with us and He hears us and is found by us!

Focus

Seeking God wholeheartedly takes focus.

We can so easily be distracted if we focus on our situation instead of on our Savior. We can so easily be distracted…and overwhelmed…if we focus on the magnitude of our situation instead of the magnificence of our Master!

Bryce and I had to focus on seeking his lost toy piece…because we could have been so easily distracted by the overwhelming mess of toys we had to sift through!

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3 NIV

Follow-Through

Seeking God wholeheartedly takes follow-through.

Follow-through is Bryce and I taking action and the necessary steps to find the lost toy piece. Follow-through is us searching and seeking for the lost toy piece…not giving up!

Follow-through requires us to continue seeking God through persistent prayer and through reading His word…even when He silent…even when we don’t get answers right away…even when we don’t receive relief from our difficult circumstance…and even when we don’t necessarily see the light at the end of the tunnel!

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 NIV

Seeking God wholeheartedly takes faith …focus…and follow-through. Don’t give up or abandon your search for God…Seek Him with all your heart… because it is in the search and it is in the seeking that God will strengthen your faith, develop your character, and do something truly amazing in you and through you!

Just as Bryce and I found his little toy piece in our persistent and wholehearted search…so too will you find God when you seek Him wholeheartedly!

Reflection Points:

1)      Have you ever found yourself searching and seeking for something and have come up empty handed, abandoned your search, and pretty much given up?

2)      What about when you search and seek God when you are going through a difficult circumstance?

3)      What about when you search and seek God for answers and all you get is silence? Do you abandon your search and give up?

Action Points:

1)      God tells us that we can find Him when we seek Him wholeheartedly. God does not want us giving up or abandoning our search…especially when He is silent. God sees you and hears you!

2)      Review the scriptures and the 3 steps in seeking God wholeheartedly…Faith, Focus, and Follow-through.  Because when we seek Him with all our heart, He can be found!