"I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'" - Isaiah 65:1
I know it's Friday, but you're going to have to think with me.
Have you ever found something that you weren't looking for?
For example, you're walking through a parking lot to go into a grocery store and you see a quarter on the ground. You're weren't looking for a quarter; you were looking to get groceries. But you "found" the quarter that was there all the time because you value money.
On the other hand, let's say you're walking through a parking lot to go into a grocery store and you see a piece of chewed gum on the ground. Actually, there are pieces of chewed gum all over the ground. But you're not looking for chewed gum, AND you don't value chewed gum. So even though chewed gum is everywhere on the ground in the parking lot, because you don't value it, you never "find" it.
One quarter in a huge grocery store parking lot that you "find" because you value money. Many pieces of chewed gum in a huge grocery store parking lot that you don't "find" because you don't value chewed gum.
I remember when a member of our church went to a doctor for a "scope" to remove some stones from a body part. The doctor made a big mistake and perforated an internal organ that made a huge problem requiring immediate surgery. However, because these people are always looking for God to work through all things together for good, as God promises, they had peace even after the doctor's big mistake. They weren't looking for the mistake, but they value God. So they were looking for God to work through the mistake.
They "found" what they valued, as the surgery became God's means to not only remove as many stones as there were chewed pieces of gum in a parking lot. But since the doctor had to do surgery because of the perforation, he was also able to do some other helpful things because of the surgery that he could not have done without the surgery.
The family rejoiced.
In sum, the family wasn't looking for "trouble" (the perforation), but because they value God and God's promise, they "found" and received a blessing of God through the trouble. They also had peace throughout the trouble.
What do you value?
If you value money, you'll find a quarter in a grocery store parking lot from time to time, even when you're not looking for it. If you value chewed gum, you'll find lots of chewed gum in a grocery store parking lot, even when you're not looking for it. If you value God and his promises, you'll find God working through all sorts of trouble, even though you weren't looking for the trouble.
Value God and his promises, you'll find him everywhere.
Think about it.
"I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'" - Isaiah 65:1
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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