Where’s God?

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Xochitl Dixon. In today's devotion, where's God? I'm sharing how God answers that question. In Martin Hanford's Where's Waldo books, a series of children's puzzle books first created in 1987, the elusive character wears a red and white striped shirt and socks with a matching hat, blue jeans, brown boots, and glasses. Hanford has cleverly hidden Waldo in plain sight within the busy illustrations filled with crowds of characters at various locations around the world.

Waldo isn't always easy to see, but the creator promises readers will always be able to find him. Though looking for God isn't really like looking for Waldo in a puzzle book, our creator promises we can find him too. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God instructed his people on how to live as foreigners in exile.

He promised to protect them until he restored them according to his perfect plan. God assured the Israelites that the fulfillment of his promise would deepen their commitment to call on him in prayer. Today, even though God has revealed himself in the story and spirit of Jesus, it can be easy to get distracted by the busyness of this world. We may even be tempted to ask, where's God? However, the creator and sustainer of all things declares that those who belong to him will always find him if they seek him with all their hearts.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Jeremiah chapter 29 verses 4 to 7 and 10 to 14. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there.

Do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. And picking up at verse 10, this is what the Lord says, when 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity.

I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile. Let's pray. Loving Creator and Sustainer of all, thanks for assuring us that we will always find you, because you will never leave us. Please help us seek you, which simply means to come to you, acknowledge you, and depend on you daily. And help us trust you will keep every promise you've made, because you always have been and always will be trustworthy. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.