by Priscilla Lack
When we’re trying to decide what to do in a crisis, it’s common to gather as much information as we can. The pursuit of information can make us feel less powerless as we make our plans. It’s not wrong to search out and store up information; however, when it becomes excessive it can become toxic. We can get addicted to searching for information as a coping mechanism to feel more in control, and miss the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
It’s wise to have a plan and a vision. We wouldn’t get much accomplished without that aspect in our lives. However, as we walk with God, we may find our original vision and direction shifting. We may find that God is changing our plans, and our pursuit of information goes by the wayside.
Although our world today has changed, I sometimes wonder what happened to the concept of not having to have immediate answers to feel safe. I wonder what happened to the process of discovering truth. It seems like we’ve lost the joy of adventure and discovery … the art of not-knowing everything right away. It’s a skill that’s becoming obsolete.
Back in the day, if I wanted to know something, I engaged in a variety of avenues to find my answer. Sometimes my answer didn’t come until after a lengthy time of searching. Each time it became an adventure worth experiencing, even if the path was difficult.
Searching and not-knowing taught me to trust the answers to unfold naturally in God’s timing. In the process, any hurried distress would have to take a back seat to my faith. Today I remember those treasure hunts much more than the times I had someone else’s answer available on my iPhone. The truths I’ve discovered through personal discoveries, which weren’t through the internet, have always stayed with me. They’ve steadied me in times of turmoil.
I still like mysteries and embarking on a journey to unravel them. Our heart matters can be kind of like that, because heart issues can take time to understand. We may sense something’s amiss, but we aren’t sure what’s needed. The heart often speaks through a different dimension. It’s not usually spelled out with methods of one, two, three and now we have the answer.
When I think about Psalm 19 and the way God pours forth speech without words, I see the link to our deeper heart. In a way, our deeper heart is like that Scripture passage. It has a language that doesn’t always come with words. Our inmost place of heart may speak through our emotions, senses, gut intuition or patterns of thought. We may have to search it out or employ a person of understanding to help us connect the dots.
Considering Jeremiah 29:11-13, there is another type of search mentioned –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 hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
In this passage, God is saying there is a condition to get the treasure: He wants us to search for Him with all our heart in order for things to really unfold for us. It isn’t a futile or frantic search, but one with adventure and a release of deeper truths. It may require us to linger in the not-knowing right away. It may require that we get quiet and listen to hear the Lord’s heart concerning the matters we are facing today.
© 2024; Priscilla Lack; all rights reserved. Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com
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