You've probably heard Jeremiah 29:13 a hundred times: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
If you're like me, you've read this verse as a command with a condition. Seek hard enough, and God will let you find Him. Try hard enough, and He'll show up. Put in the effort, and He'll reward it.
But that's only half the verse.
The very next line — Jeremiah 29:14 — says something that should stop you in your tracks: "I will be found by you," declares the Lord.
Read that again. Slowly.
I will be found by you.
That is not the language of a God who is reluctant, distant, or annoyed by your pursuit. That is the language of a God who is leaning toward you — anticipating your seeking, ready to be discovered the moment you turn in His direction.
The phrase "I will be found" in Hebrew is nimtse'ti — a form of the verb matsa, which means to find. But more than that, nimtse'ti is a form of the verb, which means God is not merely allowing Himself to be found. He is actively participating in being found- I love that!
He's Not Hiding — He's Running
In Luke 15, Jesus tells three stories back-to-back: the shepherd who loses a sheep, the woman who loses a coin, and the father who loses a son. In every story, the one who has been lost is actively pursued by the one who owns them.
The shepherd doesn't wait at the gate. He leaves the ninety-nine and goes after the one — searching until he finds it. The woman doesn't shrug and move on. She lights a lamp, sweeps the entire house, and searches carefully until she finds it. And the father? He doesn't stand at the door with a lecture. He runs to his son.
This is God's posture toward you.
Before you ever sought Him, He was seeking you. Before you ever reached for Him, He was running toward you. Your seeking is not an initiation — it is a response. You are not chasing a God who is running from you. You are running toward a God who has been running toward you since before you were born.
So Why Does He Sometimes Feel Distant?
The apostle Paul gives us a clue in Acts 17:27 when he tells the Athenians that God arranged human history so that people would seek Him — "and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us."
Read that last phrase: He is not far from any one of us.
God's perceived distance is not actual distance. He has never been far. The question is not whether God is near — the question is whether we've stopped looking in the right direction. Sometimes busyness blocks our view. Sometimes grief clouds our vision. Sometimes self-sufficiency convinces us we don't need to look at all. But God hasn't moved. He is right where He has always been: close, available, and ready to be found.
What This Means for You Today
If you are in a season of seeking — whether you're seeking God for the first time or seeking Him again after a long, dry stretch — here is the truth that should change the way you pray, the way you wait, and the way you hope:
The finding is guaranteed. Not "might." Not "possibly." Will. "You will seek me and find me." God's promise is not conditional on the perfection of your seeking. It is conditional on the wholeness of your heart — all of it, pointed in His direction. All He needs is your whole heart pointed toward Him. Not a perfect heart. Not a fully healed heart. Your whole heart — broken, hopeful, desperate, and honest — turned in His direction.
And when you turn, you will discover that He was already running toward you.
This post is an excerpt from SEEK: Finding the God Who Wants to Be Found, a 6-week Bible study by Dr. Heather Jackson that explores God's promise in Jeremiah 29:13. The full study includes weekly word studies, theological frameworks, reflection prompts, spiritual practices, and a daily Scripture engagement and memorization guide.
Dr. Heather Jackson, Ed.D. Dr. Heather Jackson Live Well. Lead Whole.
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