Captivity?

Yesterday I gave you an introduction about myself and I hope now that you have an understanding of why I am driven to do this blog. A few years ago I was complaining to God that I felt like I was in captivity because the job I was doing was not what I really wanted to do. I struggled that my passion had been taken from me and I was frustrated that I could not fulfill what I wanted to accomplish. I read a verse that has always meant so much to me and it was something much like Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28. Now Paul, the author of this book had lived in captivity, had a thorn in his side, had to work to support his ministry by making tents and left a lifestyle that was safe and secure to become a follower of one he use to persecute. Doesn't really sound like God was working all things for good, not according to our standards. So, how did he know that God works all things together for good?

That question brings me closer to the verse that I discovered when I was complaining to the Lord. I was reading one of my very favorite verses in the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. God was speaking to His chosen people when He declared this. They too were in captivity, enslaved in a country that was not their own. We so many times want to stop with that verse and dwell on what God will do for us but we need to read more. Jeremiah 29:12 tells us just why God would do this for the people of Israel and why He would do this for us. "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen." Jeremiah 29:12. What God wanted from His people was a relationship with Him. He promises that He would listen to them if they would only pray. When I worked as a consultant sometimes teachers would vent to me and I would simply listen. On those days I would think I had not accomplished anything but those were always the days that teachers would thank me for coming and would tell me how much I helped them. God was telling His people that He would listen to them but were they talking to Him?

Now comes the part of this passage that stood out to me and something that I am continually reminded of. This verse is the theme verse for this blog, it is Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11. Memorize this verse so that you will continually seek Him with all your heart. The passage does not end there though, Jeremiah 29:14 tells us the Lord's response to them seeking Him. "I will be found by you,"
declare the Lord, "and will bring you out of captivity. I will gather you from all nations and places where I have banished you," declares the Lord,"and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." Jeremiah 29:14.

Wow, God wanted a relationship with His people, He was always there to be found but they weren't seeking Him, they were just complaining. That was me, I am His child just like the
Israelites were His children. I was in a place I didn't want to be and I was continually
complaining about it to God and to anyone who would listen. That summer I decided to truly
seek God and find out as much as I could about His character, what He said, what He did, and how He responded to things of this world. I read the gospels and meditated on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. My place in the work site did not change but I was free from the captivity of that job. I had sought Him and found Him. Just as Paul said in Romans 8:28, He will work
things together for good. We are called with a purpose in life and that is to have a
relationship with our Lord. Everything else does not matter until that is established.

Are you living in captivity? Do you want to be freed? Join me as we study more about our
creator and seek Him with all our hearts.


Seeking Him,
Sheila