When I was a kid, I would spend my summers staying at my grandparent's house along with my four cousins. Summertime was always the best because we pretty much played all day long. My grandparents were awesome and did what they could to make sure we had a blast all summer. My Papaw was a skilled carpenter and could build anything. So one summer, Mamaw asked him to build a laundry shoot from their bathroom to the laundry room, which was on the floor below. It was awesome, you could use a towel, drop it in the laundry shoot, and it would fall right into a bin that was sitting beside the washing machine. It was perfect! To a nine-year-old, it was also an ideal hide-n-go seek spot. And my cousin Wesley took full advantage of this excellent hiding spot. To this day, he is still the family hide-n-go seek grand champion! If fact, it was such a good spot that we spent hours…. And hours looking for him. Until we found him, screaming for help because he was stuck between the floors of my grandparent's house!
Fortunately, with the help of our Papaw, we were able to rescue him from this legendary hiding spot! He was also fortunate enough to have four other people searching for him, who knew what he looked like and recognized his voice when he was hollering for help. The truth is if we didn't know our cousin, didn't recognize our cousin's voice, or even worse, if we weren't looking for him altogether, this whole situation could've ended tragically…
Searching for God in many ways is no different. If we don't know what we're looking for, chances are we're not going to find it. So the first step to seeking God is knowing who we're seeking!
Did you know that God does not just want us to seek Him; He wants us to know who we are looking for? Tonight, we're going to open a series on seeking God, but before we do that, we need to understand who God is to know who we are looking for!
So let's go back to the beginning. Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Right off the bat, we learn that God is the creator; now, look at Psalm 24:1-2
1 The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
2 For he laid the earth's foundation on the seas
and built it on the ocean depths.
God formed and established the world! Everything in it belongs to Him! Look around. You and I live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, but even outside of that, think of the most beautiful places that you've ever been! Maybe some of you have been to Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon. I love spending time at the beach, while Lauren loves being in the Mountains. The Arizona sunsets are another Lane favorite. I have missionary friends who have told me about incredible places like Victoria Falls outside of Lusaka, Zambia, or what about the view of the Aurora Borealis, AKA the Northern Lights, from Canada or Norway?
God made all of this!
Here's the thing, though, none of these things are God's most beautiful creations! You are His most beautiful creation! That's how God sees it. Look at Isaiah 43:1-2
1 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
"Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
Here's the thing. God doesn't make mistakes; he's perfect and makes good things. He didn't start making mistakes when He made you. You might have a low self-image; I know I've certainly been there. Here's the truth, we need to stop listening to the enemy's opinion. We need to stop letting Satan's opinion outweigh God's.
God says I have ransomed you, I have called you by name; you are mine.