Like ships passing

I once heard a story of a young man who was in constant battle with his father. For his 21st birthday he wanted this particular car. It was the latest one out, who wouldn't? The day finally arrived and after leaving many hints to his father, guessing from the small box he received, it was to no avail. Opening it swiftly he peered inside to find a bible. He threw the box at his father (along with some words in which I am unable to quote) frustrated and angry at how his father never gave him what he wanted. So he packed his bags and left.

Years past and the son heard nothing from his father (not that he wanted to) until one night he got a phone call from the police announcing his father's death. Slightly shocked he began to think of the last time he had done that - think of him.

Feelings from the day he left began to surface but formalities on the phone deemed it inappropriate to lash out at that time.

The night after the funeral the young man went through his fathers things that were bequeathed to him in his father's will. Scrummaging in a box he came across the bible his father had given him for his 21st birthday. He looked at the book with indifference as he slipped through its dusty pages - all until he got to the last page.

He opened a latch on the inside of the bible's cover that revealed a small bump. His eyes began to well up as he peered at the small object now in his hand. A key with a letter in his father's handwriting , something he knew all too well. The letter read:

My son,

"...seek and you will find..."

~Matthew 7:7~

Love Dad

What he held in his hand was the key to the car he had wanted for his 21st but he was too proud to look inside the gift to find what he wanted. All these years he had kept resentment in his heart towards his dad because of his ignorance and ungratefulness with the 'wrapping'.

The message of this is simple. We don't don't always find what we're looking for in the most obvious of places. Sometimes we must look in the most unlikely of places to find it.

God has promised us a great future, But when does this come true?

For all those who have received salvation, we receive the an inheritance of eternal life, but thats not all. For those called according to his purposes, God has promised us a life of abundance; a life of promise and prosperity. However, we don't always see this instantaneously. With all of our hopes and dreams, it can sometimes feel as though they are put aside for the 'things of God.' However those hopes and dreams were put in us from God and therefore He only desires for them to come to being. But then again, God's ways are higher than ours.

Our expectancy for God to bring about these hopes and dreams is for them to be done now. But sometimes God beats around the bush in a way.

We are human and our nature comes with many faults and failure and habits that are hard to break - but not impossible. You see, God works all things for the good of those who love Him. He leads us around the bush because although we don't see it, there may be some thorns blocking the way. There may be things in our lives that need to be pulled and pressed and pruned in order to attain all that He has for us.

I see that now. In my lack of satisfaction with the glacial pace my life seemed to be moving, God was working in me and on me in order to make His glory known through me. As I said above, we are human and therefore don't always see this and that is why we get discontent when our hopes and dreams aren't yet fulfilled. I think in our pride we don't see what God is doing because we have ignored the problems a long time before God began to work on them.

Yet in all of our shortcomings, God has made a way and everyday He continues to make a way for us. He brings light into those dark areas of our life. He brings a sweet fragrance in the stench of our sin. He guides us through the path of our unrighteousness through the path of righteousness, and best of all - He gives us the key.

This key is the Word of God. Hidden in its pages are secrets about God because the Word of God reveals the nature and character of God as it was God. No question is too hard for it to answer. Search and you will find. Many a times have I gone through it and found nothing because I wasn't searching in it. Like ships passing in the night, I have gone through the bible passing the answer because of looking hastily. Yet our answer may not always jump out at you. It may require you to dig deeper, question, gain knowledge, understanding and wisdom before it comes.

Your questions and seeking may not be about our hopes or dreams. It can be about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING; no matter the task, the bible can achieve it. God's word will not come back void. It WILL accomplish all that it is sent to do (Isaiah 55:11). That is why I trust it. That is why you should. God is faithful. Everything He promises and says He will do - HE WILL DO. Do not discount the Word of God in your life because it is the bread to your spirit. I encourage you to go through the pages and you may be surprised with the key you find. It unlocks our chains. It opens the door, and it fuels the way to your hopes and dreams.

~JP~