What does it mean to find God?
Finding God is a profound and deeply personal experience that can happen in many different ways for different people. At its core, finding God means encountering the divine presence and developing a real, lasting relationship with our Creator. This begins the journey of truly knowing God, which transforms our lives from the inside out.
For some, finding God may happen in a single, memorable moment of sudden insight or revelation. They sense God speaking to their spirit or feel overcome by His love and grace. This can lead to profound experiences of conversion, deliverance, or spiritual awakening. For others, finding God unfolds slowly over time as they study Scripture, pray, worship, and practice spiritual disciplines. Gradually, the pieces fall into place and they realize that God has been pursuing them all along.
Finding God always involves revelation, since we cannot discover God on our own. As fallen human beings separated from God by sin, we need God to take the initiative to reveal Himself to us. The Bible says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (John 6:44) We love God because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) God desires for all people to know Him, so He continually draws us to Himself. When we respond to His revelation, we begin to find Him.
For Christians, finding God always means finding Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) God most fully reveals Himself through Christ, who makes God personally knowable. As we place our faith in Christ, we come to know God in an intimate way. Believing the gospel and following Jesus is the only way to truly find God.
Finding God also requires responding to His Word. Faith comes by hearing the message about Christ. (Romans 10:17) As we expose ourselves to God’s truth in Scripture, we encounter His voice calling out to us. The Bible challenges and convicts us, showing us our need for God’s grace. It also affirms us, reminding us of God’s love and promises. Through studying and meditating on Scripture, we find God.
Additionally, finding God involves connecting with God’s people, the church. God places believers together in community, where we learn from those who are farther along in their faith. Their stories, wisdom, and support help us draw nearer to God. The church provides fellowship, teaching, prayer, worship, service, accountability, and other essentials for finding God in a deeper way. We were not meant to walk alone.
Finding God requires openness and honesty from the heart. We must come to Him with humility, confessing our sins and inadequacies. Pride and self-reliance create barriers between us and God. As we admit our weaknesses, He draws near to us as our strength. Finding God means stepping out in faith, even when we cannot yet see the whole picture.
Ultimately, finding God hinges on being ready and willing to surrender. We have to release control of our lives to Him, submitting our will to His lordship. As we give Him permission, God comes in powerfully to inhabit our innermost being. Finding God launches the lifelong process of making Christ the true Lord of every area of our lives.
The results of finding God extend far beyond a one-time spiritual experience. Knowing God personally brings meaning, purpose, freedom, strength, and love to our lives. Through an ongoing relationship with Him, we increasingly reflect God’s heart, mindset, and character. We gain an eternal, heavenly perspective that helps us navigate the ups and downs of earthly life. God begins transforming us into faithful disciples who fulfill the destiny He has prepared for us.
When we find God, we discover that our deepest longings for truth, life, and love are fulfilled in Him. Nothing else can satisfy our soul’s hunger. God created us to know Him intimately as our Father. He wants us to walk in joyful relationship with Him each day, becoming more like Jesus. As we seek God with our whole hearts, we find Him. And when we find Him, we find life.
The Bible describes many examples of what it looks like for individuals, groups, and entire nations to find God. By examining these stories, we gain wisdom for our own journeys of finding God.
Moses:
Moses spent forty years in the wilderness before God appeared to him in the burning bush and called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. (Exodus 3) This encounter launched Moses into his life’s purpose as God’s chosen deliverer. When Moses met with God on Mount Sinai, he requested, “Please show me Your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) God revealed His goodness and sovereignty to Moses, who was faithful to declare God’s words. As Moses sought God’s presence continually, he found God in intimate, life-changing ways.
Samuel:
As a young boy, Samuel served God under the priest Eli. One night, Samuel heard God calling his name but did not yet recognize His voice. After this happened three times, Eli told Samuel to respond, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:9-10) When Samuel listened to God and followed His instructions, he embarked on his prophetic calling to speak God’s words over Israel. Samuel became a great spiritual leader because he made himself available to hear from God.
Job:
Job walked with God faithfully, but lost everything he had in a series of tragedies. In his grief and confusion, Job wrestled to reconcile his suffering with God’s justice and sovereignty. God then spoke to Job out of the storm, humbling him with His wisdom, power, and transcendence. Job repented, gaining a new awe and intimacy with God: “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” (Job 42:5) Through his struggle, Job found God in a deeper way.
The Prophets:
The Old Testament prophets heard directly from God and spoke His words to the nation of Israel. God encountered them in dreams and visions, filling them with His Spirit. Their lives were marked by seeing heavenly realities, performing signs and wonders, and confronting idolatry. The prophets found God through their deep conviction of His word, calling, and authority. They courageously proclaimed the truth at great personal cost.
The Disciples:
Jesus’ twelve disciples walked closely with Him for three years, witnessing His ministry on earth. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to them and opened their minds to understand the Scriptures concerning Himself. (Luke 24:45) At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the disciples with boldness, launching the church. Through God’s direct revelation, these ordinary men found God in extraordinary ways and devoted their lives to serving Christ.
The Thessalonians:
Paul commended the Thessalonian believers because they “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9) This pagan city underwent a powerful revival as the gospel took root and many found God for the first time. Their conversion was evident through changed lives as they sounded forth God’s truth across the region. The Thessalonians exemplified finding God wholeheartedly.
The Corinthians:
The Corinthian church struggled with spiritual immaturity, misleading teachings, and sinful lifestyles. Through his letters, Paul exhorted them to examine themselves and turn from ungodliness back to Christ. He reminded them of the foundational gospel he had preached, which offers new life in God. Paul longed for the Corinthians to find God through sincere repentance and uncompromised faith.
The Israelites:
The Israelites constantly struggled with idolatry as they assimilated into the pagan cultures around them. God raised up judges and prophets to deliver them from oppression when they cried out to Him. In their suffering, the Israelites learned to revere God alone. For example, after losing the ark of the covenant, Israel lamented, “Return to the LORD with all your heart.” (1 Samuel 7:3) Over and over, God revealed Himself to His people that they might find Him again.
Zacchaeus:
Jesus invited himself to the house of Zacchaeus, a despised tax collector. Zacchaeus joyfully received Jesus into his home. After interacting with Jesus, he repented of greed and promised to make restitution. Jesus declared Zacchaeus a son of Abraham, as he found salvation that day. (Luke 19:1-10) Meeting Christ profoundly changed Zacchaeus through the forgiveness and belonging he found in God.
The Thief on the Cross:
As he died on the cross, the criminal next to Jesus fearfully recognized He was the Messiah and asked, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” Jesus graciously promised the thief, “Today you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43) At the eleventh hour, this man found God through faith in Christ and received eternal life.
The Prodigal Son:
In Jesus’ parable, a wayward son squanders his inheritance and hits rock bottom before finally returning home in humility. The father welcomes his son fully, declaring, “This son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:24) Though drifting from God wastes our lives, He waits eagerly to enfold us when we find our way back to Him.
Paul:
Paul (formerly Saul) intensely persecuted Christians until Jesus appeared to him on the Damascus road, confronting Paul with the truth. Paul embraced Christ wholeheartedly, his life radically transformed. He traveled spreading the gospel with passion and courage until his martyrdom. Paul found his purpose and identity in Christ alone: “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8)
Lydia:
A prominent businesswoman in Philippi, Lydia met Paul and heard him preach the gospel. God opened Lydia’s heart to respond to Paul’s message, and she became the first Christian convert in Europe. (Acts 16:14) She then provided her household and resources to support Paul’s ministry. Though already successful, Lydia found her highest calling in furthering God’s Kingdom.
These stories demonstrate that finding God remains at the core of the human experience. Each individual’s journey looks unique based on God’s way of drawing them. But key similarities emerge: recognizing God’s revelation, responding in faith, encountering Christ, receiving the Spirit, repenting from sin, dedicating oneself to God’s purposes. As humans made to commune with the divine, we find our ultimate significance when we find God.
While God desires all people to know Him, many have not yet found God. Tragically, individuals and societies tend to move away from God rather than towards Him. The Bible explains why people do not find God and how we can help point them to Him.
Humanity’s fundamental problem is sin, the refusal to acknowledge God as God. Instead of worshiping the Creator, people worship idols of their own making. They suppress the truth and exchange God’s glory for false images and empty pursuits. Self-absorption prevents people from seeking God. The pleasures of the world blind unbelievers from perceiving divine realities. Stubborn pride drives people away from God’s truth found in Scripture. Due to the Fall’s corrupting influence, humans naturally turn from God rather than towards Him. (Romans 1:18-23)
The default path of humanity leads away from God. People find fleeting happiness in lesser things and grow apathetic towards eternal matters. They fill the God-shaped void in their hearts with riches, relationships, entertainment, accomplishments, morality, religion, philosophy or countless other substitutes. Feeling self-sufficient, they deny their need for God. Enslaved to sin, unbelievers spurn God’s lordship. Deceived by the enemy and their own ignorance, they reject absolute truth, especially concerning Christ. Without God’s intervention, humans remain forever lost. (Matthew 7:13-14)
If we hope to find God, we must first recognize we are lost without Him. Until convicted of our own brokenness, we see no need for a Savior. By exposing people’s pain and revealing that only God provides true healing, we help prepare them to seek God. When nonbelievers realize the futility of life apart from God, they take the first step toward finding Him.
For people to find God, they require exposure to God’s Word. Scripture plants the seeds of truth that God uses to draw people to Himself. Sharing Scripture sensitively but boldly helps acquaint people with God’s voice and message. As the Bible confronts them with the reality of sin, righteousness, and judgment, unbelievers become aware of their separation from God. Scripture also reveals God’s loving heart towards all people. His Word will not return void but accomplish God’s redemptive purposes. (Isaiah 55:11)
Prayer is the most vital factor in helping people find God. Only through the work of God’s Spirit can the lost open their hearts to believe. We must petition heaven to pursue resistant souls and remove spiritual blindfolds that keep them from the light of Christ. Asking God to arrange divine encounters for pre-Christians, we lean on His Spirit rather than our own wisdom. Prayer storms the gates of hell that have held captives bound and clears obstacles from their path to the Father. (Matthew 16:19)
Loving engagement disarms barriers keeping people from God. As we build trust through compassion, care, respect, and service, we earn relational equity to speak into others’ lives. They observe God’s grace through our good works and become more receptive to His truth. Walking with the lost, entering their world, understanding their perspectives, and validating their experiences helps guide them to God’s answers. We encourage people on each step of their spiritual journey rather than demanding they arrive fully formed.
Our testimony wields great influence, since people must hear from those who actually found God to believe He is findable. We overcome refusals to receive the gospel when people witness its power through our changed lives. The joy, freedom, purpose, and virtue we exhibit give substance to our claims about God. Humbly sharing stories of God’s work personalizes biblical truths. Our authentic faith makes room for others to find God too.
When people do begin seeking God, we must be ready to welcome them. The church plays a key role in guiding spiritual explorers towards relationship with Christ. Providing clear instruction, support groups, classes for new believers, and mentors helps transition seekers into disciples. We must make it easy for awakening hearts to take their next steps. New converts especially need personalized attention to grow in God and withstand challenges.
As we faithfully plant and water seeds of truth, we trust God to produce growth leading to salvation. It requires sensitivity to varied spiritual seasons. Not everyone finds God quickly; many meander gradually without linear progression. We simply keep shining the light, assured that God is able to bring lost sheep home. When a person finds God, all heaven rejoices. (Luke 15:7) No work compares in life-giving impact to seeing a dead heart resurrected upon finding Christ.
For believers who have found God, we still seek to know Him better throughout our lives. Relationship with God always holds more for us to discover. As we pursue deeper understanding of His Word, ways, and character, we continually uncover new dimensions of God. Our infinite Creator will never exhaust our capacity for greater wisdom and revelation. We can experience greater fullness, communion, and transformation in God right now.
It requires cultivating a posture of waiting, listening, expecting, and receiving. We must humble ourselves to admit how little we truly grasp of our Maker. Approaching God with awe and gratitude renews the power of simple gospel truths. Saying yes to the Spirit’s promptings leads us into new encounters with God. As we surrender more fully, God’s work flourishes. This process of finding God afresh unleashes purpose, joy, and intimacy with Christ daily.
If finding God becomes mere religious routine, we miss His new mercies each morning. When our faith grows stagnant and predictable, we have stopped seeking the living God. We may continue practicing spiritual disciplines while lacking urgency for more of God’s presence. To find God in fresh ways, we simply invite Him to search our hearts and show us any idolatry. Repenting of complacency rekindles our first love and passion for Christ.
As we find God truly, we are transformed to live fully for Him. His priorities define ours. We dedicate every resource and relationship to glorify God. Our abilities and experiences equip us for Kingdom-focused ministry. Discovering our God-given purpose, we steward it with eternity in mind. This life becomes not about us, but living for the Audience of One. Found by God, we make bringing others to Christ paramount. We give generously, love unconditionally, and proclaim the gospel boldly. No sacrifice seems too great, motivated by the price paid for our redemption.
God promises that if we search for Him with all our heart, we will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13) When we do, everything changes. All the scattered fragments of our lives find coherence in the unifying force of knowing Christ. Finding God means discovering our ultimate purpose: to worship Him alone. My life’s single driving passion is that I might gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8) I consider everything else rubbish compared to the boundless riches of knowing God through Jesus. I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day. (2 Timothy 1:12)