All of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through [Jesus]…For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them… We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God! 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

 

Do you remember when you loved to play hide and seek as a child?

Though they’re hiding, toddlers will often shout out from their hiding places, “Come and find me!” They’re thrilled at the thought of their parents coming looking for them!

The news that God has come to look for us is no less thrilling.

Tim Keller once said, “The founders of every major religion said, ‘I’ll show you how to find God.’ Jesus said, “I am God who has come to find you.”[1] Jesus lovingly and relentlessly comes to find us just as we are. Sinners. Sick. Imperfect. Needy. Nothing disqualifies us from being God’s desired, chosen children.

It’s always been this way. The Bible opens with the story of a newly created perfect world (Genesis 1:31) where there’s absolutely no reason to think the worst of their Creator and yet, the two first humans doubt and disobey God. All it took was one sneaky question, speculating if God was truly trustworthy, and humankind immediately assumed the worst of Him (Genesis 3:1-7).

You’d think that after this betrayal God would give up on humanity. Instead, He came looking for His children, calling out for them (Genesis 3:9). God still wanted us. And even then, God planned how to pursue and restore us. The Bible explains that “All of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through [Jesus]…For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them… We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20 excerpted).

God has come to find you, just as you are today.

[1] Smethurst, Matt. “50 Quotes from Tim Keller (1950–2023).” The Gospel Coalition, 19 May 2023, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/50-quotes-tim-keller/. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.