If with all your heart

Journey into Mendelssohn with me for a moment. He happens to be one of my favourite classical music composers for no expert reason but Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

In his Elijah, the people were screwed. They had turned their backs to follow idols and they were faced with disastrous consequences for their actions. Then Obadiah stands and sings, appealing to the people to repent and turn back to God, not an outward repentance just to avoid trouble but one that they really felt in their hearts.

Then as if echoing the thoughts of the people, Obadiah says, “Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might even come before his presence”. Where can God be found? If we are to repent, where can we go see him?

In response, Obadiah returns to this heartbreaking line, “If with all your heart ye truly seek me, ye shall ever surely find me, thus saith our God”. You will always find God if you well and truly want to find him.

I find that a lot of the time, when people struggle to see God or believe in him, it is because they really are not that interested in finding him.

It’s like a mother telling a son to go look for that ugly sweater that he hates so much. He would stand in the middle of the room, scan with his eyes for a minute and return to her, “I have no idea where that sweater is. I looked everywhere for it”. (If you grew up in Nigeria, feel free to replace ‘ugly sweater’ with ‘cane’).

The child is not lying. He did look everywhere. However, let that sweater be an Xbox controller, the word look will be redefined.

We tend to seek God as if we were looking for an ugly sweater or a rod of punishment. For many of us, it’s difficult to stomach the thought of the immense implications that finding God would have on our everyday lives, relationships and careers. So, it’s better not to go looking in the first place.

Yet, we have this promise that if with all our hearts – with all sincerity and thirst – we go looking for him, we will always find him. He will always lift the veil we have put over our faces and reveal himself.

I’m not talking of turning to rituals and endless repetitive prayers to make you feel forgiven and worthy enough of God’s love. It’s not an outward mode of dressing, what you eat or drink, how many times you go to church service, what prayer book you use. No, it’s a re-arrangement of the heart. No amount of outward religiosity will help.

Rend your hearts and not your garments.