Trusting that God Will Know How to Find Us

Texts:

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

Deuteronomy 16:1-8

Philippians 2:1-11

Since I am (largely) preaching about Philippians this Sunday, I'll save that one.  The repetition of the LORD choosing a place to dwell is interesting.  Given hardly any instructions and an indication that the LORD will choose a place (wherever that is) argues with my striving to always do it right, to know where to be and what to do, until I realize that so often, I am in the wrong place at the right time or the right place at the wrong time and - strangely - God works through even that.

It seems that, once we have experienced God in particular place or a particular setting, we are drawn to that place, seeking the same experience and the same feeling, only to find ourselves frustrated in our attempts.  Seeking the glimmers of transcendence, we paradoxically get further from the transcendent moment in thinking we can reverse-engineer it.  Traveling backward, trying to know what we have learned in order to right the wrongs of our past, we forget to live in the present.  To a certain extent, we are programmed to chase the Infinite; we are programmed to chase God.  It is not until we realize, however, that God is chasing us that we understand how this relationship thing works.  It isn't about finding the right place or the right time.  It is about showing up and being a part of a place and time, trusting that God will know how to find us.