Jeremiah 29:10-14 (NLT)This is what the Lord says:

“You will be in Babylon for seventy years.But then I will come and do for you allthe good things I have promised,and I will bring you home again.

For I know the plans I have for you,”says the Lord. “They are plans for goodand not for disaster, to give you

a future and a hope.In those days when you pray, I will listen.If you look for me wholeheartedly,

you will find me. I will be found by you,”says the Lord. “I will end your captivity andrestore your fortunes. I will gather you outof the nations where I sent you and

will bring you home again to your own land.”

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Introduction

When we find God, what do we find?

First, we find a God who has really found us. We think we havesought Him ourselves and decided to follow Him, but God hasbeen pursuing us with His eternal love since the day we wereborn.

We discover that He is a God who is different from the false ideaswe have of Him. He is far stronger, far more loving, far moreholy, far more forgiving than we could have imagined. His divineattributes begin revealing themselves to us day by day. Decadeslater, we are still finding out new and wonderful things aboutthis wonderful God. Let’s look at just one.

Our God is a God who loves restoration. I think it is one ofHis greatest attributes. And one of His greatest joys is to restorea broken person back to wholeness. Everything in the Bible isabout restoration. From the beginning, we were a lost race andGod has been searching for us. From the time of the brokenrelationship we lost in the garden, to the New Heaven and NewEarth at the end of Time, God has been searching for you. Hehas found you. You have found Him, and now He is restoring you.

Let’s take a deep look into a portion of scripture that speaks ofFinding God. (Each message is taken from Jeremiah 29:10-14.)

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1.“This Is What the Lord Says …”

Israel was a land surrounded by idol-worshippers. The peopleof those heathen nations did not know the true God. Theyworshipped idols of wood and stone and bronze. Their godscould not hear, and they could not speak. The God of Israel wasnot like that.

He spoke with Adam in the cool of the evening. He spoke toAbraham and promised to make him a great nation. He spoketo Moses from the fire of the burning bush and delivered Hispeople. He spoke to Samuel and found David, a man after Hisown heart to lead the kingdom. He spoke through the prophetsand warned the land of judgment. Most importantly, He spokethrough Jesus the Savior.

God is still a God who is speaking today. He has given us Hisholy Word, the Bible. Through it, He shows us all thingspertaining to life and godliness. God speaks to us primarilythrough His Word. But there is more…

God still leads us. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; Iknow them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). If God seemssilent lately, then rejoice! He delights in speaking to you, andHe will do so soon. Just keep listening. He has great things totell you!

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2. “Good Things I Have Promised.”

It is God’s great desire to do good things for His children.Sometimes we can get focused on God’s judgment, but Hisdesire to bless us is much greater.

Do you ever think that God is waiting for the right time toshower blessings upon you? You may have waited and wadedthrough lean times. You may have been in a season whereGod’s blessings seemed like ancient memories or far off dreams.Get ready. He still has good things for you.

Listen to what Jesus said to His followers, “So if you sinfulpeople know how to give good gifts to your children, how muchmore will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who askhim” (Matthew 7:11). Let your mind meditate for a moment.

Meditate on the good things that God wants to give to you.What are they? Peace, joy, contentment, provision, fruitfulness,restoration. God has many good things He has promised to Hischildren. Put yourself in an attitude of receiving today.

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3. “I Will Bring You Home.”

Israel was about to go into a time of exile. God brought aboutjudgment for their sins, but as we said before, that was not Hisgreatest desire. His desire was restoration. Here He promises todo that very thing. Israel would be restored to itsr own country.

In this time of grace, we are brought home in a spiritual way aswell. This begins by having an encounter with the Lord andSavior Jesus Christ. It says in Isaiah 53:6, “All of us, like sheep,have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.”

This is where we are before we know God. But through JesusChrist, we can have forgiveness of sins and truly be back home.We are restored to everything we would have been if sin, theworld, and the devil hadn’t ensnaredf us.

That restoration is done by trusting Jesus Christ as our Lord andSavior. I hope you have made that commitment to Christ. If not,you can do so today. Simply ask Him to come into your heartand be your Lord and Savior. He will forgive your sins. Like theprodigal son when he returned to his father, you will truly beback home. You will truly find God. (See pages 12 and 13 if youneed help taking this step.)

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4.“I Will Give You a Future and a Hope.”

Okay. So now you are saved. You’ve been brought home, butfor what purpose? The good news is that you have found Godand are now in His family forever.

However, like any good parent, God wants more for you. No onewants their child to grow up and live in their basement playingvideo games every day. Neither does God want that life for you.He has called you to plans and purpose — a future and a hope.

Many in our society today have lost hope. This is understandablein a nation that is quickly leaving God. He is the one who givesour lives meaning. Since you know God, you know He has goodplans for you. It is interesting to note that God never really tellsus all of His plans. He just tells us to trust Him, to follow Himclosely, and He will reveal them step by step.

Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet anda light for my path.” It’s like a flashlight as we walk along theroad of life. That light never gives us too much of what’s ahead,just a few steps in front of us. Since we have found God andknow that He is good, we can trust Him to lead us to a gooddestination, to our future and hope!

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5. “If You Look For Me Wholeheartedly,You Will Find Me.”

I’m constantly amazed and sometimes quite impressed by theeffort that athletes put into their chosen sport. They spendcountless hours in the gym, on the field, and in the classroomlearning all they can. They repeat the same actions over andover until it becomes second nature. You remember the movie,Rocky. Rocky put everything he had, all his resources, into onegoal — to beat Apollo Creed. Who can forget his run up thelibrary steps!

All this effort to win what the Bible calls a “perishable wreath.”It’s a good thing, but it’s temporary. As believers, we have agreater object in mind. We have a God who is asking us to putour whole heart into looking for Him. Do we do that? Do weput our strongest and best efforts into knowing Him? Or do wegive Him our least efforts, our tired moments, our down times?

That will never do! God is the God who desires to be found. Ifyou seek Him today, He will let Himself be found by you. He isjust ahead on your road of life. Don’t leave Him out of yourplans!

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6.“I Will End Your Captivity.”

Chances are that as you read this, you are not in prison. (If youare, take heart! This promise is for you, too!) So, in what wayare we in captivity? Israel was in a foreign land, serving asslaves to a foreign king. We are not in this situation. Or, are we?

You may see an area of captivity in your life. Does the enemyof your soul have a stronghold over you? Do you struggle withrepeated sins? Perhaps there is an attitude that just won’t goaway. Or maybe past hurts have stolen your joy.

The God who finds us also restores us. He sees it all. Every scarand wound on our soul is His concern. He has the power to healand to set you free. You will feel like a new person as He takesaway the pain of the past.

If you battle with a secret sin, God wants to release you fromyour captivity today. Since you are forgiven, God no longerwants you bound. Even if you’ve struggled your whole life,today is your day of freedom!

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7. “And I Will Restore Your Fortunes.”

What would we think of a father who let his children live inpoverty while he had the means to support them? We wouldthink he was a terrible person, and we would call the authorities.Yet sometimes we think about God this way. This is an incorrectpicture of our God.

God is a faithful Father who promises to provide for His children.Jesus spoke some of His most comforting words when He said,“Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food inbarns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you farmore valuable to him than they are?” (Matthew 6:26).

No matter what your current financial situation, God is a Godwho provides. In fact, He said He knows that we need all thesethings even before we ask.

When we begin to trust God with our finances, several thingshappen. We have more peace. Anxiety leaves. We complainless about high prices. We become content. We give more toothers. Hoarding ceases. We are free. The God who finds us isthe God who keeps us, too.

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8. “I Will Bring You Home Again.”

Our salvation, while a personal experience with God, is never forus alone. It is Good News! It is something that is meant to beshared with those around us. We want them to find God too.

We want them to experience the depth of forgiveness andrelationship. Of course, the ones we want to experience this themost are the members of our own family.

Do you have loved ones who are far from God? Maybe yourchild has strayed, or a parent has never known God as theirSavior. This final promise is one of family salvation and familyrestoration.

Jesus said that the Good Shepherd leaves the 99 sheep to findthe one sheep that has strayed. We all know people who havestrayed from God. Let’s claim this promise that He will bringthem back home again.

One more thing: if we are estranged from a loved one, Godwants to restore that relationship too. He longs, as much as youdo, to see your heart healed and your family member broughtback into the fold.

CONCLUSIONGod has found you and you have found Him. Now He wants youto get to know Him in a deeper way. Restoration for you andyour family is just around the corner!

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THE FIRST STEP

As you draw near to God, there is one crucial step you musttake. In order to have God’s blessing upon your life, your family,and your mission, you must first answer a crucial question. It isthe same question that Jesus asked the Pharisee Nicodemus.

Actually, Jesus didn’t phrase it as a question; He simply statedthis truth: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, hecannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3b

So, it is of ultimate importance that we know that we are bornagain. If you have never had this experience with God throughfaith in Jesus Christ, you can have it today. There are four simpletruths you need to know, to be sure you are born again.

1. God loves you. He wants to have a personalrelationship with you. Since before the foundationof the world, God has looked forward to this relationship. However, there is a problem.

2. There is a barrier of sin that separates you fromGod. To be born again, we must admit that we have sinned and broken God’s laws. The Bible says, “Forall have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”(Romans 3:23). We must be willing to repent andturn from our sin and turn to God.

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3. Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penaltyfor our sin. We could not pay this penalty by our ownworks. We must simply trust in Jesus for our salvation.“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved”(Acts 16:31).

4. We must receive Jesus Christ into our heart and life. Many people say they believe the first three points,but many do not act upon them. John 1:12 says, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right tobecome children of God.” God is standing at thedoor of your life, waiting for you to invite Him in.

You can know God today by inviting Him in through prayer. Thereis a sample prayer below. Its words are not magic, and reciting itis not a religious duty. We simply invite you to pray and act uponthese words:

“Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your love. ThankYou, Jesus, for paying the penalty for my sins on the cross. I am sorry that I have sinned against You.Please forgive me of my sins and come into my lifeas Savior and Lord. Make me born again by thepower of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer sincerely desiring to know God, youare now a Christian. We would love to hear from you andprovide you with resources. Please call our Cornerstone TVprayer line at 888-665-4483 or email info@ctvn.org. Find

our Christian programs at www.ctvn.org.

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