“The Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you.” (1 Chronicles 9:10)

These are the words spoken by King David to his son Solomon, just before turning over the throne of Israel to his son. David had spent the last few years of his reign collecting materials and workmen to build the temple in Jerusalem. In the quote above, David located for Solomon his source of success in the very large and unfamiliar task ahead. He assured Solomon that, though he, David, would not be present, David’s Source of strength and understanding would be with Solomon without fail. Solomon would never be alone in this project.

It is stirring to read about the building of Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem, and to perceive the realization of God’s promise to David, but it is even more stirring to observe the growth of God’s relationship with His people in the history of Salvation.

Many years after these events the prophet Hosea wrote, “When I (God) found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your ancestors it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.” (Hosea 9:10) God had said to Abraham, “Don’t be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward,.” (Genesis 15:1) Even at that very early time God made it clear to that very early ancestor of the Hebrews, that Abraham would never be alone. Abraham was like “grapes in the desert” to God.

When I read that, I understood that, not only will God be found by us if we search for Him, but in fact He searches for us. It seemed like a revelation to me to find in the Old Testament, a glimpse of the God of Jesus, who gave us the story of the lost sheep: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine . . . and go after it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.” (Luke 15:4)

God doesn’t let one sheep go off alone. Not only will we find Him if we search for Him, but in both the Old and the New Testaments, it is clear that God has no intention either to be alone Himself, or to leave His people alone. We, like Abraham, or like the lost sheep, are “grapes in the desert” to God. We are irresistible to Him, as He desires to be irresistible to us. We are never alone.

Love in Him,

Prue