Seeking God

Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. ²³For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. Acts 17:22-23

I believe that we were all created to be in relationship with God.  A fundamental level, this is the purpose of our life--to connect to God and discover the love and joy that only God can provide.  This is deep truth for me, one which I have come to believe over a period of time.  God creates in us the capacity or even hunger for relationship, but does not force it upon us.  I have experienced this as a journey.  Throughout my life I, as I look back now, have become more and more aware of God's presence in my life.  There were times when I ran from God and times when I ran toward God.  But whether I was cognizant of it or not, I have always been seeking God.  And I also believe God has always been seeking me (even more important). 

Not everyone's journey is the same, but God's heart is the same for each person.  God's loves everyone without exception and is calling each of us into relationship.  Paul certainly understood this for himself and for others.  He had dedicated his life to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, which made it possible for each person to receive and know God's love.  Through Christ, God was opening the door beyond tribal religion and unifying the people of God through God's amazing love and grace.  When Paul comes to Athens, he knows about their many gods.  As he studies the shrines and objects of their worship he notices a shrine to an unknown God.  The Greeks had numerous gods for every occasion and contingency, but they had a shrine to god they were not aware of.  Whether they seeking to cover all the bases or if they were truly open to something new is borne out in the results of Paul's efforts (some dismissed him, others wanted to hear more: 17:32). More importantly the natural openness of the Greeks to something new and something uncertain speaks to the deep truth that without God in our life we are left feeling empty.  No matter what other gods we worship, no matter how successful, educated, wealthy, or respected we might be, nothing can replace God's role in our life.  We are born to seek God and until we find God and are found by God, we will continue to restlessly search until our heart finds contentment in God's love.