Throughout the scriptures, we see that God seeks out people. He started this practice in the very beginning with Adam when He would come and walk in the cool of the day with him. We also have many other stories in the Bible, like how He came to Abraham to establish a covenant. He met Hagar two times when she was in distress. God found Moses alone on the back side of the wilderness. And an angel of God suddenly appeared to Gideon. We also have the New Testament story of the woman at the well. Jesus "needed" to go through Samaria, and the only reason we see recorded was to meet with her. These are just a few of the stories that stand out in my mind.
Most of these people weren't specifically seeking God. He was seeking them. Gideon and Moses both seemed a bit surprised and rehearsed all their weaknesses before the Lord. That didn't stop God, not even for a second. Maybe He wasn't looking for someone with a lot of confidence; it doesn't seem that way, anyway. So, what was He looking for?
2 Chronicles 16:9 tells us that God looks and searches across the Earth, looking for hearts that are seeking Him. Why? Is it just some big game to Him? Does He find it fun to mess with people's minds, especially people who feel less-than? Of course not! The verse goes on to say that when He finds hearts that are "fully committed" to Him - so that He can strengthen them.
God uses people who feel they can't talk well (Moses), who feel like they are weak (Gideon), those who are lost without hope (Hagar), and those no one else would choose (the woman at the well). This gives me hope that He can use the lowly caregiver, too! He's not looking for perfect, strong, or the person who has it all together, or at least thinks they do. He just wants a heart that is turned toward Him, that is committed to Him.
Today, I'll remind myself that God sees past my weaknesses, my inadequacies, my failures, and my goofiness. He sees me. My thoughts will be on how He goes to extremes to find hearts yielded and turned toward Him, even on the backside of the caregiving wilderness. I'll look for God in the mundane today because that's where we are likely to find Him seeking us. My thoughts will be on how He walks with us all day long as we carry out our caregiving tasks. I'll welcome Him into my day and celebrate that He isn't leaving. I can trust Him for today. Will you join me?
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Book of the Week!
The book of the week for this week is 31 Days in Psalm 31. I found myself returning to that Psalm over and over. It brought so much encouragement and I found so many scriptures that were meditation-worthy, I decided it was a good topic. David wrote this psalm while in a cave hiding from Saul. Since much of my caregiving life feels like it's lived in a cave (we talk about the caregiver's cave a lot!), it seemed appropriate. You can get a Kindle or print version in my Amazon bookstore. Or you can download an eBook from my DFM bookstore.
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