Question about Jeremiah 29:13

[ChowdersMom]

I'm a very down-to-earth, practical person and I need practical, usable advice concerning Jeremiah 29:13:

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

How do you seek the Lord "with all your heart"? I need step one, step two, .. etc.

The kind of answer I'm looking for would say, for example, When you first wake up in the morning, don't get out of bed before you've thanked the Lord for the day, or praised Him or put on the full armor of God.

Or maybe, Don't ever watch any secular television.

You know, some practical steps I can follow. Maybe the kind of advice I really need is what would be considered NOT seeking the Lord with all my heart?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Tamara224]

Good questions. Something that I've learned is that this is more about our attitude in seeking than it is in our actions. Seeking God with all our heart means that we are open and willing to seek regardless of where it takes us. If we really want to know the truth, we have to be willing to follow it wherever it takes us. Seeking God with all our heart means abandoning our preconceived notions and our 'self' in order to find Him.

When we try to seek a God of our preconceived ideals, we are not seeking Him with our whole heart.

I noticed something when reading the context of Jeremiah 29:13 ... I'll start with verse 10:

10 This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 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 hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the 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."

I bolded some of it to show the sequence... First, God comes to the captive Israelites and fulfills His promise, Then they will seek Him. This just astounds me, really. It is always God who moves first, isn't it?! While we were yet sinners, He loved us enough to send His son and atone for us before we ever realized we needed atonement. We can't seek for Him until He calls us to Him.

I don't think that we were able to seek Him with our whole hearts until He came to us first. Now that we have a relationship with Him, we ask Him to give us the right attitude. As David said: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

 

[christianmomof3]

 

[Glenda]

This is from Gill's Commentary:

Jer 29:13 - And ye shall seek me, and find me,....

When persons seek the Lord aright, they always find him; a God hearing prayer; a God in Christ; bestowing favours upon them; granting them his presence; indulging them in communion with him; and favouring them with fresh supplies of his grace, and everything needful for them; every mercy, temporal and spiritual; that is, when they seek him in Christ, who is the only way to the Father, under the guidance and influence of the blessed Spirit; in the exercise of faith upon him and his promises; with fervency of spirit and ardour of mind; with diligence and importunity; with earnest desires and strong affections; and, as follows, with all sincerity of soul:

when ye shall search for me with all your heart;

which, as Calvin rightly observes, does not design perfection, but integrity and sincerity; when they draw nigh with a true heart, and call upon him in truth, and search for him with eagerness, with a hearty desire to find him, as men search for gold, and silver, and hid treasure.

 

[Alpine]

I have to keep my eye on this topic because you asked a practical question that I've thought about a lot!

[watches topic]

 

[ChowdersMom]

I have to keep my eye on this topic because you asked a practical question that I've thought about a lot!

[watches topic]

Thank you, Alpine. I appreciate that. And thank you, Tamara and Glenda (my sister's name) and christianmomof3. You've given me some good things to think and pray about.

After thinking about it a while, I realized that the last part of my post is what I'm really looking to be answered. What things would indicate that my whole heart is NOT turned toward God?

I mean we cannot seek God 24/7, since we actually do have to live in this world even if we are not of it. I could not be seeking the Lord while giving a workshop on cataloging audiovisual materials at my place of employment. I can seek Him before the workshop and afterward, but not during.

If I'm relaxing and watching an Animal Planet special, does that mean I'm not serious about seeking God. I know we all need down time, but what is appropriate down time with the Lord?

 

[probinson]

Interesting questions. My thought though is that you've asked a question that no one here can answer. I think only God can tell us the answer because the answer would be different for all of us. What I mean is, you may be able to kick back with Animal Planet for hours on end and not have it affect your relationship with God where someone else may be told to avoid Animal Planet altogether for whatever reason.

Father really does know best, and any good parent knows that what works for one of your children may not necessarily work for the other. So I guess my short answer is to seek God on this issue. He will tell you what it is you need to do.

 

[Tamara224]

After thinking about it a while, I realized that the last part of my post is what I'm really looking to be answered. What things would indicate that my whole heart is NOT turned toward God?

Well... I don't think there are any set in stone indications that are true for every person. This is one of those things that is personal and that only God can show you.

The Animal Planet, for example....a person could sit and watch a program and find God in it...it's talking about animals doing such and such, and if you're seeking God with all your heart, God could reveal Himself to you through that program. But another person could be wholeheartedly seeking for God and not have the same revelation through the same program...

You just need to ask God to reveal your heart to you... only God knows what's really going on in our hearts. We think we may know, and it would seem like we should know what's going on in our own hearts....but the Bible says that "the heart is deceitful above all things." So we have to rely on God to even show us if we're being wholehearted or not... It's kind of circular...but it keeps coming back to our total dependence on God.

I'm sorry, I know these answers may not be the practical ones you want. But it really is a relationship thing... no one else can tell you these things, it's part of the intimacy of each person's relationship with God.

 

[HumbleBee]

Here's a thought...seeking God with all your heart would imply to seek God without distraction...give Him your undivided attention...spend muchhhhhhhhhhhhhhh quality time together...be wholly in the moment...pour out your heart to Him...open up your heart to Him...ask Him what is on His Heart...seeking to please Him...delighting to do His Will...feasting on His Word!

An example of not all heart...would be no "heart exchange"...nothing meaningful shared...only keeping a legalistic appointment...only going to God in crisis

God gave me this quote long ago...

If God has your time, He has your heart! If He doesn't have your time, you need to ask Him for a new ticker!

 

[Optimax]

Seeking God I believe can only be done by reading, study, prayer and meditation of His Word. Seeking God is the same as getting to know Him.
He even tells us in this scripture

Jn 17:3
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
KJV
That eternal life is knowing God and Jesus.

He reveals the deep things about Himself and His way of doing things through His Word.

I believe that the way he wants us to seek Him is the same way that we would go after something that we really wanted. It would consume our time instead of TV, Sports, etc.
We would make choices to choose Him over others and other things.

I say this knowing at the same time that we must also keep our other duties and relationships in order.

 

[foadle]

It is a good quesction CM and this is where my thoughts have lead me.
The indicators that our heart is not fully turned toward God is the sins in our lives. As human beings our lives will be in continual learning to be fully under the leadership of God. The sins I refer to are not just our actions but our attitudes. Often our actions are right but our attitudes deceive us. We must always remember that God looks at the heart.
So practical advice - this is probably something you are already doing - in all things ask his advice.
Lord I pray that you would reveal a better understanding of this to all of us who are here seeking answers.

 

[OnlyByHisGrace]

I think its mainly a heart thing. Yes you can seek the Lord and give a workshop at the same time. Ask his blessings on your work. Thank him for your work. Ask his wisdom. It falls under doing all things as unto the Lord. I read a book a little while back which dealt with this same thing. The Practical Presence of God by Bro. Lawrance (sp? )

I think the more you acknowledge God in your everyday activities, the easier it'll be for you to answer your own question. If you make a consious effort to keep Him in everything you do, you'll automatically change anything that conflicts with that. Kwim?

Seeks means look. Look for God's hand at work in your life, in all you have and all you do.

 

[ChowdersMom]

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to my question. I appreciate it.

 

[holyrokker]

I ask what is the opposite of "with all your heart"? I think it would be something like a divided heart; meaning that your loyalties are divided. Are you seeking God, yet at the same time holding on to some other affection?

 

[swifteagle]

He is your answer. He has your answer. Ask Him!!!

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

I love this thread and all of the answers.
Jer 29:12 says Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
It's first recorded that people called on the name of Lord in Gen 4:26 And to Seth also a son was born, and he called His name Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of Johovah.
And in Rom 10:12-13 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him; For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
Isaiah said in Isaiah 55:6 Seek Jehovah while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.
1 Cor 1:2 To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus in everyplace....*Note* that it says the church of God. Paul had a spiritual view of the church.
I think keeping God always in mind in every decision just like we would our husband or wife is reasonable to be called "pray w/o ceasing" Just like a think having a husband/wife is a 24/7 job.
Great thread!