Latest / Wilder Whispers Podcast / Seek Until You Find Him | Learning to Know Him Again

Transcript

Seek Until You Find Him | Learning to Know Him Again · Wilder Whispers Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Hey friend, welcome to Wilder Whispers, a space where we slow down and listen for God's voice in the ordinary moments of life.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Shay Wooden, and I'm so glad you're here.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: We often expect God to speak through big moments, a sermon, a breakthrough, a perfectly quiet prayer time, and he does.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: But so often, he chooses quieter ways, in the middle of everyday life, in the unnoticed moments, in gentle whispers that invite us closer.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Each episode, I'll share one simple story and the quiet truth God revealed through it.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Not because it was extraordinary, but because he was present.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: So wherever you are right now, take a breath, let's slow down, and listen together.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Last episode we talked about what happens when we begin to behold God again.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: When our attention returns to him, when we slow down long enough to see his beauty, something begins to change inside us.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Because the truth is simple.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: You become like what you behold.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: But Scripture doesn't just invite us to behold God, it also invites us to seek Him.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: And those two things are closely connected.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Beholding Him is worship.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: It brings our hearts into agreement with who God is.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: But seeking Him through prayer and His word does something else.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: It brings our hearts into agreement with what God has said He will do.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Beholding reminds us who He is.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Seeking leads us to know Him for ourselves.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: And the beautiful promise we see throughout Scripture is this God doesn't hide Himself from people who truly seek Him.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, one of the earliest invitations God gives His people says this if you seek me with your whole heart, you will find me.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what today's story is about.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes the journey of faith looks a lot like a search.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: A search that begins with the desire to see something beautiful, a trust that the directions we've been given are true, and a determination to keep going until we find what we're looking for.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: A few years ago we were hiking in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: If you've ever been there, you know it's an incredible place.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Cliffs and forests and winding trails that lead to some beautiful views.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: One of the hikes we did took us to the top of a natural rock arch.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: From the top, you could see out across the valley, layers of forest and rock stretching for miles.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Before the trip, a friend had given us the coordinates to an unmarked trail that would lead us beneath the arch, where the view was even more beautiful.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: So when we got to the place the GPS indicated, there was nothing but brush, no clear path, nothing obvious at all.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: We had to make our own way.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: We started looking for anything that resembled a trail and eventually found a small path that seemed like it might lead somewhere.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: It took us to a place where we had to climb down part of the rock and then walk along a very narrow ledge.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember thinking how tight that space felt.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: One wrong step would have been a very long fall.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: We turned around a couple of times because it just didn't feel like we were going the right way.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, we were almost ready to give up.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: But something in us kept saying, just keep looking.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: I knew we had the right coordinates, and I knew we wouldn't be disappointed.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: So we did.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: We kept moving, just a few feet farther along the rim.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: And when we turned the corner, we were suddenly standing underneath the arch.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: It was right there.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: And in that moment I couldn't help but think the perseverance was worth it.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: The view was incredible.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: The sunlight filtered through the opening and the valley spread out in front of us.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: And as I stood there beneath that arch, I kept thinking about how close we had been to missing it.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Not because the arch wasn't there and not because the directions were wrong, but because we almost stopped seeking.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: And in that quiet moment, it felt like the Lord was gently reminding me of something.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes seeking Him can feel like that.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like you're in the right place, but nothing seems obvious.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: No clear path, no immediate answers.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: And it can feel like nothing is happening.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: But that doesn't mean God isn't working.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean he isn't leading.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it doesn't mean he isn't revealing himself.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes he's inviting us to keep seeking, to keep moving, to trust that what he promised is still there, even if we haven't seen it yet.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: As that thought settled in my heart, I sense the Holy Spirit quietly whisper, Keep seeking me.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: And the beautiful thing about that whisper is that it isn't just a personal impression, it's actually a promise we see all throughout Scripture.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: God tells his people in Deuteronomy chapter 4, but from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Just think about that for a minute.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: God doesn't say we might find him, he says we will find him if we seek him with our whole heart.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: And that promise appears again and again throughout the Bible.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: The prophet Jeremiah writes, You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Isaiah says it like this seek the Lord while he may be found.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Scripture repeats the same invitation.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Seek him, and you will find him.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: But there's something important to understand about this kind of seeking.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: It isn't just intellectual.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's not simply gathering more information about God.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's relational.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Throughout Scripture, knowing God always means something deeper than knowing facts.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: It means knowing his heart, knowing his character, knowing his voice.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, one of the saddest verses in the Old Testament appears in Judges chapter 2.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: It says that after Joshua and his generation passed away, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Think about that.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: They had heard the stories, they knew the history, but they didn't know him.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: And the difference between those two things is enormous.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Because information transfers knowledge, but relationship transforms a life.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: God never intended for his people to know him only through someone else's experience, through a pastor, through a teacher, through a book.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Those things can guide us, but ultimately, God desires something far more personal.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: He wants to reveal himself to us.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the promise of the new covenant we see in Jeremiah 31, where God says, They shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: Not secondhand, not distant, but personal.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: And when people truly know God, something powerful begins to happen.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: The book of Daniel says it this way The people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Not the people who have heard about him, not the people who have gathered the most information, but the people who know him.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you know God for yourself, everything changes.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe the question for us today isn't whether God can be found.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: Scripture has already answered that.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: The question is whether we are still seeking him with the same hunger, especially in the moments when it feels like nothing is happening.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because if we're honest, that's where most of us struggle.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: We start seeking.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: We pray, we open his word, we make space for him.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: But when we don't immediately feel anything, when nothing seems to change, when the path isn't clear, it's easy to assume we're not getting anywhere.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: And slowly we stop.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: Not because we don't love God, but because it feels like we're searching and not finding.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: But what if that's the moment that matters most?
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: What if the place where it feels like nothing is happening is actually the place where God is inviting you to keep going?
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Because just like that trail, the fact that the path isn't obvious doesn't mean it's not there.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: And the fact that you don't see it yet doesn't mean you're not closer than you think.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the difference between finding and missing what God has for us is simply the willingness to keep seeking a little longer.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: And often it's in that place of continuing to seek, when nothing feels obvious, when nothing feels clear, that we begin to recognize his voice.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Not all at once, not always in ways we expect, but over time, as we stay with him, we begin to notice how he speaks.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: So today the invitation isn't just to seek him, it's to keep seeking.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Not just when it feels easy, not just when you feel something, but even when the path isn't clear, even when nothing seems to be happening, keep showing up, keep opening his word, keep making space for his presence, because God is not hiding from you, and he is not silent.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: He is revealing himself, sometimes more slowly than we expect, but always faithfully.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: And if you stay with him long enough, you will begin to recognize his voice.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: You will begin to see what you couldn't see before, and what once felt distant will become personal.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: So today the invitation is simple.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: Seek him, not casually, not occasionally, but with your whole heart.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: Open his word and listen for his voice.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: Spend time with him in prayer.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Bring him your questions.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: Bring him your hunger.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: Stay with him long enough to begin to recognize his voice.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the invitation to seek you.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you that you are not distant or hidden from us, but a God who desires to be known.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: Father, stir in us a deeper hunger for your presence.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: Forgive us for the times we've settled for hearing about you instead of seeking you for ourselves.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Give us hearts that pursue you with sincerity, with curiosity, with our whole heart.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: As we open up your word, help us hear your voice.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: As we pray, help us recognize your presence.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: And as we seek you, reveal yourself to us more and more.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Because your word promises that those who seek you will find you.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the desire of our hearts.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: In the name of Jesus we pray.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe that's the encouragement we carry with us today.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the path to knowing God isn't obvious.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it takes a little searching, a little persistence, a willingness to keep going even when the way isn't perfectly clear.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: But the deeper places of relationship with God are often discovered the same way that Arch was.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Not because the way was obvious, but because we kept seeking.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: Today's whisper to carry with you is this seek him with your whole heart, and you will find him.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for spending this time with me on Wilder Whispers.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: I hope today's story reminded you that God is closer than we often realize and that he's still speaking, even in the ordinary moments of life.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Whispers are the language of closeness.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: They invite us to lean in.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: Stay attentive.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: God is not far away.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: He's not silent.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: He's near, and he's speaking.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep listening.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: This is Wilder Whispers, and I'm Shea Wood.