Groping for God

Did you know you’re living in your particular home, in this particular period of time, for the exact purpose of groping after God? Yep; it’s true. For it is written:

He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. (Acts 17:26-27)

There are specific situations and dynamics that are unique to the place and time in which you exist that are meant to induce a searching—a groping—after God.

To “grope” isn’t an intrinsically sexual term. It means to “feel about blindly or uncertainly in search”, as in, feeling around a wall for a light switch when entering a dark, unfamiliar room. In doing so, you’re groping for the switch. You fumble around, rubbing your hand all over the wall, until your fingers find what they’re looking for.

It’s the same with God: He positions us strategically, in vulnerable and needy situations, that we might seek after Him. He’s never far from us, though, like the light switch. And we recognize Him when we find Him, also like the switch. Our pursuit of him is to resemble groping. Though we’re blind about some things and uncertain about others, we’re to seek Him out until we find Him.

So much of the Kingdom is about seeking. It’s a forefront principle in discipleship. Jesus said:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matt. 13:44-46)

What do you do to obtain treasures and beautiful pearls? If you’re serious about it, like Jack Sparrow, you seek after them diligently until you find them. You grope for them. Seeking in the kingdom of God is vital. And because many people’s nature tends more towards settler than pioneer, God assists them by placing them in situations that He intends to induce groping.

So, in light of this reality, I guess a proper question to now ask ourselves is: Are we groping for God? Are we reaching into dark and unknown places in search of Him? Are we pushing past blindness and uncertainty to obtain more of Him? Because if we aren’t, we aren’t fully experiencing the reason for which God positioned us where He has and when He has. In our walks with God, the grass is never greener on the other side. There is never an “ideal” time or place to seek after God that is better than the time or place in which we now exist. “Now” is always the right time and “Later” is never the right time. “Here” is always the right place and “There” is never the right place. We will seek God and we will find Him when we seek after Him will all our hearts (Jer. 29:13), not when we have more time or live in a more anointed environment.

The good news is that a groping-for-God renissance is never more than a moment away. With a simple yielding of our spirit to His, with a simple “Yes” of our heart that says “God, I know Your word says that I’ve been placed here and now to grope for You and follow hard after You. Count me in; I want more of You,” we can initiate a hot pursuit of Him that need not ever be quenched until we either rest in peace or are caught up in the clouds with Him at the last trumpet.