Love to hear from and know who is listening
I can remember when I was younger going to the amusement park, Worlds of Fun. At the time it seemed huge. At various places in the park there would be a map giving you directions to all the different rides, food courts and other attractions in the park and right smack in the middle of the map would be a brightly colored star with the words, “You are Here!” Once I found out where I was, then I could figure out where I needed go, in order to reach my destination. Isn't this very similar to our Christian faith? If you don't know where you are in relationship to God, if you not asking God for directions, how will you ever get your bearings and know where he wants you to go next? In Luke chapter 2, twelve year old Jesus and his parents were in Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. After the festival was over while his parents were returning home and Jesus stayed behind, but his parents were unaware of it.
Luke 2: 44-45 ESV but supposing Him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.
If you listen closely to these verses you will notice, Joseph and Mary lost Jesus when they were returning to their place of comfort, to their home. I can imagine that during the festival of the Passover Jerusalem was a mad house and I feel confident that Jesus parents kept a watchful eye on him. However, once they were headed back home and in the comfort of family and friends they relaxed and they were no longer focused on where Jesus was. In other words they didn't make communications with God a priority since they knew where they were headed. The scripture even states that they went on traveling for a day and didn't even know that Jesus was not with them. So how did Joseph and Mary lose Jesus. The same way you and I do, we stop making proximity or communication with Jesus a priority in our life. You become more focused on your destination than you are on your devotion to God. Once Joseph and Mary returned to the temple courts they finally found Jesus and Mary said to him, “Son why have you treated us like this your father and I have been anxiously searching for you?”
Luke 2: 48 ESV And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”
Jesus reply to Mary was, “Why were you searching for me? Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?” Remember this, anytime God asks you a question it is not so he can figure something out about you, He is Omnipotent and doesn't need your answer. The reason He asks the question is so that you can learn something about yourself. So why did Jesus ask this question? Remember Jesus is 12 years old and these are his parents so in essence, they are closer to him than anyone else. So Jesus asks this to influence a moment of reflection, but not only to his parents, to you and me as well. What Jesus is really saying is, you claim you know me so well, but your being anxious about this situation is an indication that you don't really know me as well as you think you do. Because, if you did you would know there is nothing to worry about. So what is the lesson we need to learn from Jesus question to his parents, “Why were you searching for me? Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?,” The lesson is this, maybe the reason it has been hard for you to hear from God because he is in the last place you left Him, after the decision you made without him. You can go from person to person searching for answers in life, but you will never receive the p
