Pay Attention

"It's amazing the things you notice when you're paying attention." That's what I tweeted as I waited on the bus. This was in reference to the Toyota Yaris. I had driven one over the weekend and now begun to see them everywhere. In that moment I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13 That's a promise statement and a fact. Guaranteed, if you're looking, seeking after God you are going to find Him. I began paralleling this with my car experience. When I drive in a car I know how it runs; what it looks like, it's shape. Once I've experienced it I know what to look for if I need to find it. But not only that, I know it when I see it because I've had a personal encounter with it. I can see it from a distance and know almost certainly that that's a particular make of car.  That is the analogy that unfolded in my spirit as it relates to seeking God. When we encounter Him personally, we become more familiar with a particular aspect of him. If we're paying attention we'll know Him, even "from a distance" in that capacity. Hebrews says that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. I'm understanding the diligence to be that active part of seeking. Reading the Word so that we learn His character traits, praying, fasting, positioning our minds and hearts in His direction. He rewards that, by "showing up." He reveals Himself. He's always present. He says He'll never leave or forsake and we know that He is omnipresent. But many times we don't notice Him because we aren't paying attention. We're not looking for Him. We have to start seeking and earnestly seeking, just like David said "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you." Ps 63:1 It's an active search. Striving for, inquiring of, frequenting a path. Nothing about seeking God is a "one step and its over" type search. You have to put your entire self into it. As the scripture says, your whole heart. It's continual. But it's not a futile search. It is not in vain. His Word says that we WILL find Him when we search. That should push me forward. Lord I pray for the desire to seek you whole heartedly. That the momentary discomforts or inconveniences will not deter me from seeking your face. I am promised that I will find you and on that Word I stand. Fan the flame within me to earnestly seek you. To see you throughout my day and know that it's you.