You cannot find yourself if nobody is there ∙

You cannot find yourself if nobody is there ∙

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13

Isaiah 55:6-9

 6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.

 7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the LORD. And He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer’s doctoral concentration was counseling psychology. He is the bestselling author of 20 books. Dr. Dyer wrote, “Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.” The idea of retraining your will mind has great practical value. The question is, “what are you retraining your mind to think and believe?”

We cannot find ourselves if we do not know who and what we are. People have been searching for answers for millennia. Many, many solutions have been proposed. Most of them are “all about me!” They put you at the center of all things, and are self-absorbed. “The idea of finding yourself simply means accessing your confidence, natural and potential abilities, sense of self-worth, self-reliance, and independence” (Dyer).

The Father has a different modality. In His kingdom, it is all about finding Him. When we find Him, we truly find ourselves, and we discover our real identity as the dearly beloved, adopted children of the King.

There are two entirely different ways suggested that will enable individuals to find themselves and experience inner peace and tranquility.

The first is man’s way. There are many proposals and schemes available. One has been called the “self-help movement.” It centers around becoming something that you are not, the ideal you. What you are capable of becoming, according to this scheme, is far greater than you could ever imagine. In some instances, you can become an enlightened being, just like the Father and His angels.

The Father’s way is totally on the opposite end of the continuum. The Father’s way is called sanctification, and it is about becoming what we already are as a result of our rebirth through the Lord Jesus Christ.

John Newton wrote Amazing Grace. Newton spoke of an inner transformation that occurred because of the Father’s inward work when he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.

How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed! (Newton (1779)

The sense of feeling lost, purposeless, forlorn, and without hope is common to the human race. How can you find yourself? You cannot find yourself if nobody is there.

REFLECT & PRAY

“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures” (John F. Kennedy).

Father thank You that You seek to transform the spirit of each of Your children’s minds (Ephesians 4:23). You dream that we may think Your thoughts after You.

INSIGHT

The Father God is not playing hide and seek with the people of planet Earth. He wants to be found. He encourages people to look for Him. Through Isaiah, the Father cries out to each person individually. Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6).

The problem is not on the Godward side. The problem is on the manward side. Many people simply do not want anything to do with the Father. Rather than seek Him, they seek to avoid Him at all costs. They are running away from the Father. People are both wayward and wicked. And they like it that way. The Father reaches out, but there is an urgency present. Time is literally running out.

Imagine in your mind’s eye the medieval time of castles and kings. The land had been invaded. And people all around knew to run to the castle for safety and protection. Perhaps there was some type of early warning system that consisted of large horns or drums that were sounded from the highest watchtowers of the castle. The people knew they had to run immediately in the castle’s direction whenever the warning was heard. Why was timing so important? Because eventually, the castle would raise its drawbridge, drop its iron gate, and close its inner doors in preparation for the coming siege. After that point, entry into the castle was no longer possible. People on the outside would be left to the mercy of the invaders who had no mercy.

Mercy and protection are available inside of the Father’s kingdom. But people must change their way of thinking and acting, forsake their evil, selfish ways and return to the Father. The Father promises compassion and forgiveness. Their sins will be pardoned. The appropriate steps of action are clearly laid out. But each person must individually decide.

Jeremiah 29:13-14 If you will seek Me and search for Me with all your heart, you will find me, says the LORD.

What a fantastic offer and a magnificent promise. However, there is a significant disconnect between people and the Father. The Father explains why.

Isaiah 55:8-9

 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Father explains “why people must reject and forsake their old ways of behavior and turn to accept the criteria set down by God. Put as plainly as possible; the prophet says people do not act or think like God.”

“The thoughts of an Almighty God who has created the world, controls the history of nations, and plans what will happen to each person have a world perspective that is beyond the realm of human comprehension” (Gary Smith).

Being a part of God’s Forever Family requires gradual inward transformation. We are earthbound because of our own human limitations and thoughts. When we become children of the King, a lifelong journey begins. We learn to think His thoughts after Him. And willingly choose to allow His ways to become our ways.

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© Dr. H 2022