Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

It’s a little awkward to be writing on this when it was part of this past Sunday’s message! However, we must not let familiarity breed contempt. The point of this verse is focus. Far too often our attitude toward God is all too diffuse, a rather “That would be nice” kind of feeling, rather than any real understanding that He is the foundation of our existence, essential to us in every way. Intellectually, God is considered to be one of those things you can’t prove either way, whether He exists or doesn’t, and once we get into that mindset, it can be easy to dismiss Him as unnecessary. That’s precisely where the devil wants us. That’s also why the Lord allows trials into our lives, to snap us out of such complacency. If everything always goes along swimmingly, we never grow, emotionally or spiritually. Satisfaction, and especially self-satisfaction, can be our greatest enemy. This isn’t to say that greed is a good thing by any means. As Paul wrote to Timothy, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6) Greed can get us into a world of trouble! However, we can never get too much of God. Thankfully, He is unlimited! The Bible says clearly, “God gives the Spirit without limit.” (John 3:34) It is when we run into our own limits that we turn to God, and that’s a wonderful thing. Every time we are reminded of our own weaknesses and limitations it should cause us to seek Him. Anything that causes us to do that is something to be thankful for. That’s why Paul could say, “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:19-20) The greater the trial, the greater the reason to thank God, because such trials strip away all the distractions and cause us to cry out to Him. He never picks on us, but He knows that pampering us isn’t love.

This is very timely, because I’ll be having tests on my heart today. I feel like specifying “my physical heart,” because God is the judge of my spiritual heart! I realize that I have tended to take my physical health for granted, being grateful for and also a little proud of it. However, a little over a month ago I started noticing chest pain and shortness of breath at times, and when a nitroglycerine tablet under the tongue cleared that up rather promptly, it was clear that it was angina. Since my father woke up in heaven after heart surgery at 64, and in many ways I am something of his physical clone, I knew it was something to take seriously. I don’t know what all the tests they will be doing today will be, though I’m aware of several possibilities. I’m not afraid of the tests per se, but I’m uptight about what they might show, because I have enjoyed being active. This is more training in seeking God with my whole heart – physically as well as spiritually! My schedule looks fairly full for the next two months, certainly, and I have to lay all of that before the Lord. This morning I’ve had the song, “Bring Ye All the Tithes Into the Storehouse,” running through my mind, in particular, the last line of “See if a blessing, unmeasured blessing, I will not pour out on thee.” I take that as a promise of blessing through whatever goes on today, and I thank and praise God.

Father, thank You for all of this. I do want to be active and healthy as Cathy’s caregiver and as Your servant, but You are the Source of my supply on every level. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, so that my every word, attitude, and action may give You glory. Thank You. Praise God!