Good morning, Five Minute Families. When our boys were young, there was an artist on the local radio station where we lived who had a kids radio show called Karen and Kids. One of the songs they sang came from Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Karen and the kids would sing “Ask and seek and knock.” By the way, you can find that song on youtube.

I can still hear that song run through my mind. It came to my recall earlier this week when I was doing research for marketing the retreat. Marketing is not in my natural gifting, so I do lots of research of it. Another retreat I can across had the statement “We all need a place to unplug, unwind and seek God” prominent on its home page. Seek God. Seek means ‘to go in search of’ something.

If we are to seek God well, how exactly are we supposed to do that? Any type of search has steps… how to conduct a google search is not the same as how to conduct a geocache search. How to search for a lost dog will not look anything like how to search for your career options. Yet, what are the elements that make a good search? Being specific, being thorough, having relevance, for the searcher to be open to suggestions, and having a valuable resource are but a few of the elements of a good search.

When I first started looking into seeking God as a concept or teachable moment, I simply saw a bunch of verses or paraphrases such as

1 Chronicles 22:19 Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God

or Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the Lord while he may be found

Those parts of those verses are great but they are not specific or thorough. You know, one of our sons has to have very detailed instructions for every task we give him. While the concept of something may be well know, the steps to achieve are not always so easily discernible. Each verse includes a touch more about seeking within the verse itself or the context of where the verse is found. Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” And in Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

Jeremiah 29:13 illuminates a bit of the start of the actual process of seeking God for someone who is struggling to get started: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Just like in food dieting, one must be “all in” with no cheat days to achieve a lasting belief change about food.

But, still, for those who find comfort in a process, though we all know God can work in and through us in ANY way He sees fit, we found that a “seeking God process” is most easily identifiable in 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Lamentations 3:40.

Lamentations 3:40 Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Five minute families, if we are to seek God, we must:

1. Examine ourselves – where are you… honestly!
2. Humble ourselves – if you have been putting ANYTHING or ANYONE before God, take your focus off yourself
3. Pray – call out to the Lord even if you think you don’t know how to pray. Just speak out loud to God what is on your mind and ask for His guidance.
4. Seek HIS FACE – This one sounds redundant, but in 2 Chronicles seeking God specifically mentions seeking His face. The only way to truly see God for who He is is to study his Word.
5. And, finally, as both verses mention, it is time to turn or return to God which means it is time to repent and confess.

Each step can have many nuanced phases within it and God may guide you and your family to seek Him through worship, study, giving, serving, and more. This “seeking God” process is not exhaustive, but it is meant to kick start your personal or your family’s desire to earnestly seek God in all things.

Prayerfully, this ‘seeking God’ process can get you thinking in the right direction – which is God’s direction. Remember, there is only one truth and that truth is 100% God’s perspective of His creation. Be blessed!