By: Erin Davis
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” Jeremiah 29:13.
Somewhere along the line, I’ve heard the story of a village in Africa where physical healings are commonplace. Broken bones are made straight. Head wounds have been closed up. The dead have even been brought back to life. When I pressed about why that was happening there, and not here (at least not as often) I was told that Jesus was their only hope. With no access to ambulances, doctors, or emergency rooms, the people in this village put all of their hope in Christ. And He delivers.
That story has stuck with me because I know that my faith isn’t like that. I pray but I usually do so with a back up plan in mind. I want God to intervene, but if He doesn’t, I am willing and able to take matters into my own hands. I am rarely desperate.
In other words, my prayers are half hearted.
I suppose God prefers a half-hearted pray-er over one who doesn’t pray at all, but a half-hearted prayer life is not the same as a powerful prayer life. When I seek God, I don’t necessarily expect to see Him working and so sometimes…He doesn’t. But this verse says that when I seek Him with my whole heart, I will find Him every time.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. God is not some marionette controlled by the fortitude of my prayers. He can move with or without me and He’s not waiting for me to drum up enough heartfelt effort before He responds, but so often I am going through the motions of seeking Him while I seek my own solutions on the side. In those instances, I get what I’m looking for—something that falls short of the kind of provision that only God can do.
As I think about that village in Africa, I realize that their prayers are so powerful because they are putting all of their hope in God. Their hearts are completely tethered to what He will do. They wait with expectation on God, because they have nothing else to wait on.
As I mature in my faith I want to become a whole-hearted seeker. I want to turn to Him with my whole heart, and abandon any hope in other things.
Don’t you?
What do you think whole hearted seeking looks like?
Share your response with other “seekers” on the Holy30 FB event page!
ERIN DAVIS is the founder of Graffiti Ministries, an organization dedicated to addressing the issues of identity, worth, and true beauty in the lives of young women. She is the author of Beyond Bath Time, which addresses the importance of motherhood as a sacred role. A popular speaker, author and blogger, Erin has addressed women of all ages nationwide and written several books including Beyond Bath Time, Graffiti: Learning to See the Art in Ourselves, True Princess, and The Bare Facts, co-written with Josh McDowell. Her quest for the perfect scoop of ice cream is never ending and her children Eli, Noble, and Judah are her constant source of entertainment.