Searching for God?
(Pastor Ken is on vacation this week, so here's a "re-run" of a favorite ePistle blog from almost fifteen years ago, on June 24, 2011.)
Are you searching for God? You might want to consider looking in Sumter County, Florida. At least that's what the folks at American Family Publishers seemed to think a few years ago, when they mailed a sweepstakes notice addressed to "God" to a church in Bushnell, about sixty miles north of Tampa. The message: "God is a finalist for the $11 million top prize!"
"God, we're searching for you," American Family wrote in the letter, received by the Bushnell Assembly of...God. If God were to win, the letter stated, "What an incredible fortune there would be for God!" according to the Sumter County Times, which first reported the divine mix-up. "Could you imagine the looks you'd get from neighbors? But don't just sit there, God."
Church pastor Bill Brack was quoted in a CNN report about the letter, saying, "I always thought He lived here, but I didn't actually know."
I do hope they found Him there, even though I doubt He really needed the prize money. And I do hope you find Him as well, wherever you are looking.
Of course, we all know, theologically-speaking, that God is always with us. He is omni-present, meaning He is everywhere, all the time, even in Bushnell, Florida. However, we also know that the Bible tells us to "seek the Lord while He may be found," even as He has come to "seek and to save" us as well. That means we seek the one who seeks us.
The good news is that we have been promised that our search will not be in vain. Hear what the Lord promised His people through His servant Moses, in Deuteronomy 4:29: "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul." Are you seeking the Lord?
I wouldn't be surprised if we started getting a few letters addressed to God around here at Shelby Crossings, the way He has been "showing up" in our worship gatherings of late. We will continue to seek His presence, that He might reveal Himself to us in a real way, and speak to us from His word with clarity and conviction.
One more thing: Congratulations to our graduates from the Class of 2026! We are proud of you. Please know that I am praying for each of you, that the Lord will bless you and use you in this next chapter of your life. Have a blessed weekend!
--Pastor Ken
