3 Truths for When You're Searching for God

I walk the country roads because I’m searching for God beneath the sapphire skies. The rolling hills and muddied pastures offer space to listen to my soul’s longings.

The farmers are tilling the ground again today. The country roads smell like earth, life, and possibility.

I watch the black soil turn and consider the change that will occur in this very place in a few short months. This bare patch of earth will soon birth corn stalks that reach far above my head.

As I walk past the tilling tractors, I’m reminded of the words Jesus spoke to his disciples:

“The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know” (Mark 4:26-27).

On Searching for God

A seed is planted deep in the earth, and the average farmer doesn’t spend much time analyzing the details of how it breaks and sprouts to new life. He waits, watches, and trusts.

I think of the seeds that have been planted in my own life. There are dreams still waiting in the wing. I have desires and hopes for the upcoming year. God has yet to answer so many of my prayers for specific loved ones.

And so I wait.

Jesus wasn’t directly addressing our career and family goals when he spoke these words about seeds and soil. Instead, he was directly addressing the kingdom of God. To understand how the kingdom of God relates to our everyday lives, it helps to first understand what the kingdom of God represents.

The Greek transliteration of the word kingdom is basileía. Basileía refers to the rule of Christ in believers’ hearts. When a person decides to follow Christ, God’s kingdom has come into that person’s life.

God’s kingdom came to earth when Jesus walked in this world as the incarnate God. His kingdom continues to reign on earth as seeds of faith and belief are planted across the globe.

Lastly, his kingdom will come in fullness when Christ returns and establishes a new earth where sin and death are extinguished forever.

Searching for God in the Parable of the Seed

So what is Jesus actually saying in the parable of the seed?

A seed is planted, and the seed appears small at first.

Over time, God transforms the seed into a fruitful plant that brings glory to him.

The story of the seed is relevant for each of us today. It is relevant because what God begins in a heart often feels small at first. The transformation of the seed is often invisible.

It isn’t felt.

It is slow.

And it grows in stages.

I don’t know what your seed looks like today. It might be a dream to follow God into a new place of ministry.

Perhaps it’s a simple prayer for healing, restoration, reconciliation, or transformation.

Regardless of the shape of your seed, be encouraged by the parable of the seed. You might feel like you planted a seed, and nothing is happening.

Don’t lose heart.

Growth is happening in unseen places.

Let’s look at three truths to cling to while we wait to see God’s hand:

1. God delights in small beginnings.

Most seeds begin very small.

Your faith, your dream, or your desire might seem small.

You might have hopes that it will flourish and bear much fruit.

Be patient. Do not despise this small beginning. God delights to see the work begin. What seems small to us looks very different to our Creator.

As a seed breaks open and sends its green shoot into the world, there is always a waiting period. We cannot see what’s happening in the deep places.

Don’t lose heart because you don’t see progress surrounding your seed. God’s work is invisible in some seasons. His work bears fruit when the time is right.

Thank God that although today’s work feels small and humbling, it is of great worth in his eyes.

2. God often works in unseen ways.

The farmer has no sense that his seeds are growing and changing. He simply waits faithfully for the hand of the Creator to draw life from the earth.

Most of us become impatient when the seeds of our lives seem dormant.

We want to feel our faith growing, our trust deepening, our surrender widening. Meanwhile, God’s work is often not felt.

Don’t lose heart if it doesn’t feel like your seed is sprouting. He brings dormant things to life without our understanding.

Thank God that he is working in unseen places as you faithfully keep doing what he has asked you to do each day.

3. When you are searching for God, remember that growth takes place in stages.

A corn seedling doesn’t become a tall stalk overnight. It takes months for the plant to rise from the ground, grow tall, and bear fruitful ears of corn.

Don’t give up on the kingdom work in your life if it feels slow.

Pursue God.

Make him a priority.

Do what you know to do, and keep doing the next right thing. You can trust that he is working in deep places.

Proclaim your trust in God as you continue to follow him in the quiet work of planting each small seed.

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Attention, all moms and daughters!

Lastly, in addition to writing to adults, I am also passionate about ministering to the next generation.

My 12-year-old daughter Bekah and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book together. We hope to help moms and daughters connect and grow in faith together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section.

Our vision is for girls ages 7-17 to enjoy it with their moms, grandmas, or older women they look up to. However, mothers and daughters of all ages are using this book to grow closer together! This book makes a wonderful gift for a mother or daughter you care about!

You can buy your paperback or eBook on Amazon right here.