Why Do You Seek?

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they has prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” ~Luke 24: 1-6

What do you seek? We all are seeking something. We may seek comfort, assurance, happiness, long life, good health, safety, adventure, freedom, praise, companionship, love, and more. Sometimes we seek that which is harmful to ourselves or to others – isolation, power, money, prestige, domination, violence, chaos, destruction, death, lack of accountability, escape from responsibilities, and more. The human heart is restless, unsatisfied, longing. Despite all of our seeking, one songwriter wrote, “But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

Our searching reveals our longing. We long to cease from our seeking. Deep down, we long for true rest. We long for true satisfaction. We long for contentment. We long for perfect love and acceptance. Perhaps the reason we remain unsatisfied is because, ultimately, we cannot find fulfillment in temporal things. We know that this world is passing away and that our lives will eventually be snatched away by death.

Once we admit what we are seeking, the next question is “Why?” What is the motivation behind the seeking? Why is what we seek so important to us? Why do we spend our lives searching for the one thing that we hope will satisfy all our longings? Can anyone ever find what they are looking for?

Why do we seek the living among the dead?

There are some who seek and do find, once they realize that they are not seeking a “What” and that the answer to their “Why” can only be found in the eternal “I Am.”

Many years ago, mourning women came to the tomb where the One Who said, “I am the resurrection and the life” had been buried three days earlier. And the tomb was empty. An angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ~Matthew 28: 4-6

Those seeking women, and countless others since, have found the Living One who can satisfy a longing heart. They have stopped seeking for temporary things that cannot satisfy and have found all that they had been longing for. They have realized that the One they had sought had already come “to seek and to save the lost.” ~Luke 19: 10 For thus says the LORD GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak… ~Ezekiel 34: 11, 16

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD. ~Jeremiah 29: 13-14a

For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ~ Matthew 7: 8

Saint Augustine wrote in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” For He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” ~Matthew 11: 28

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near. ~Isaiah 55: 6

My prayer, dear reader, is that as you seek the living Christ, you will find that He is seeking you. May all that your restless heart is longing for be found in Him.

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD!” ~Psalm 40: 16