Psalm 119 is one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. It’s also one of the most convicting, because I’m not always longing for God’s Word or His way like these verses describe. The other day I was struck by verse 10: “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.” You’ve probably heard this before. I’m not going to be saying anything that you don’t know or that’s new.
Proverbs 2:4-5, in speaking about looking for wisdom, says “If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.” I’m a picture person. My imagination is hyperactive and sometimes hard to control, but stories and illustrations help me a lot. I also enjoy the classic western, and if there’s any story that’s a trope by now, it’s the one about the old prospector who is the last one still looking for gold at the old mine, stubbornly believing that he’ll hit the richest vein ever seen. No one else thinks it’s possible, but the old guy continues on. Much to everyone’s surprise, the old man finally does find the gold, only (of course) to get hijacked by the greedy bad guys, who eventually are brought to justice by the good guy.
How many of us are like the old prospector? The individual who is confident that there are riches to be found in the place he’s looking? There is a place where God is sure to be found, and it’s in the pages of the Bible, but I would dare say we don’t search the Scriptures like we’re looking for gold or silver. We’re probably more like the people who left when the digging got hard, when the findings got scarce, or when the work was just plain boring.
How diligently do you seek God? How desperately do you read His Word? How high of a priority is your walk with Him in your life? The old prospector is usually considered by the rest of the town to be crazy or strange, simply because his whole existence is wrapped up in searching for something that most people think isn’t there. How crazy do they think he is once he’s finds gold, though? All of sudden everybody wants what he has, right?
Christianity should be like that. Once we find Jesus, and the true nature of the Gospel, those around us should know. And whether or not they act on it or not, they’ll want it. Because people today need reality. They don’t need a quote about Jesus and coffee on their wall. They don’t need a tee-shirt with a cute saying about faith making them strong. They don’t need a song that mentions going to church on Sunday. They need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But what would make them want that if they never see it displayed by those who claim to be Christians?
I was walking with a friend today, and we passed a bunch of homeless guys. We stopped and started talking to them about Jesus. One of them asked, “Are you guys Catholic?” to which another said, “No, they’re Christians. There’s a difference.” I was startled, and so very humbled to be given the privilege of being identified as a “real” Christian. I can’t tell you how moved I was for the souls of those men. They kept asking us, “Why? Why would nice girls like you stop and talk with us?” They couldn’t grasp that Jesus isn’t about saying a morning prayer or getting a cross tattooed on your arm.
There’s so much darkness around us, and so many needs. But we’ll never be able to meet those needs if we don’t understand the riches of our spiritual inheritance (Eph. 1:18). Jesus is the answer to all the problems in our society today, and He is ready to be found by those who seek for Him with their whole hearts. He is gracious, and merciful, and loving. He’s always there, but so many times we give up because we don’t give our whole hearts to search for Him. We get distracted or discouraged and end up abandoning the gold mine.
This summer is going to be different than any we have ever known. Let me beg you, please, seek for God with your whole heart. Search for Him like the old prospector looks for gold, and delight in discovering the riches of Jesus. Only then will you be able to be that shining light to those who most desperately need it.
Victoria White is a graduate of Baptist College of Ministry and a member of Falls Baptist Church in Menomonee Falls, WI. She has a burden for young people to understand the Bible and to live for God in this world. She has 6 siblings and lives in Germantown, WI.
