The Set Up: Have you ever lost something that was super valuable to you? Maybe you couldn’t find your wedding ring so you turned your house upside down until you found it. Or maybe you misplaced the plane tickets (back when we used paper tickets) for your vacation and scrambled to come up with them before you missed your flight. Probably one of the scariest moments you can have as a parent is when one of your kids goes missing, or as a child when you couldn’t find your mom at the store. Whatever the situation, whenever you are missing something valuable, you stop whatever else you are doing until you can find it.
In todays passage, God talks to Israel about losing their way spiritually. He tells them that over time they may find themselves drifting away from God and toward the idols of the people around them. Isn’t that the way things often work in our lives too? We don’t often make a hard right turn or a 180 degree turn away from God’s best for our lives. We tend to drift. That’s what God warned Israel about and it’s what can happen to us. But then God gives them an instruction and a promise. It’s found in verse 29:
But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. - Deuteronomy 4:29
When we start to feel distant from God, God instructs us to SEEK HIM. That’s what Lent is all about. Setting aside some of the common everyday activities and objects of our lives so we can seek God in a greater way. When we do that, God promises, we will find him. When you seek me, you will find me.
Biblical Passage to Read: Deuteronomy 4:25-31
Reflection Questions:
* What is the most valuable thing you have ever lost? We’re you able to find it or get it back?
* What do you think it means to seek God with all your heart?
* How are you seeking God during this Lenten season?
Prayer Focus: Jesus, you said we should ask, seek, and knock when we pray. I believe that when I ask, I will receive. When I seek I will find. And when I knock the door will be opened. Help me to find you as I seek you this Lenten season.