I had slowly stopped reading my Bible. What started out as occasional, sporadic missed days turned into bigger gaps in my week until it flatlined completely. I hadn’t even noticed. I also hadn’t been listening to worship music as often as I had before. Something else I hadn’t noticed.
What I did notice was that something was different, though for a while I couldn’t figure out what. When I realized what had changed in my routine, I realized that it wasn’t just reading my Bible or worship that I missed, but God’s distinct presence throughout the day.
When I regularly sought the Lord, He would show up in other areas of my life. He would come up in the worship songs that I hummed, the gentle nudges throughout the day, and the things that reminded me of His design. The more time I spent with God, the more I could see Him in the world around me.
Inversely, the less time I spent with God, the less I saw or heard from Him (unless I was intentionally seeking or engaging with Him). I don’t think God spoke less or was present less than usual; it was that I was unable to catch what He was saying.
Finding God isn’t a formula, but if you aren’t looking for Him, you won’t find Him.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7
When we spend time seeking the Lord, it gets easier to recognize His hand in the world around us and easier to find Him in the midst of everything. There’s a difference between living and living close to God. How will you choose to seek God this week?