Are any of you familiar with the children’s book Where in the World is Waldo? It is a delightful book that is interactive for your kids where you search each page to find Waldo. He is hidden in the pages of the book. I have been thinking about this book for a few days now and I have fond memories of sitting with my children trying to find Waldo. What occurred to me is how Jesus, who is seen in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation appears hidden to some people. So what is the difference between those who find Him and those who do not? Jesus makes it clear as He admonishes the Pharisees (the people who were the religious ones; the keeper of the law) that although they knew the scriptures, they missed Him.
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Can it be that we know the Scriptures and yet we have missed Jesus?
You study the Scripture diligently because you think in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me. (John 5:39)
Jesus, The Living Water, is seen from the beginning of Scripture until the very end. As we search the Scriptures, sometimes it feels like looking for Waldo. But He is there. We must read Scripture with a fresh lens and perspective to fully encounter the Living Word.
There was a Samaritan at the well whom Jesus met and offered living water. Shunned from society as a Samaritan woman, she went to the well at the hottest part of the day knowing that no one else would be there. Friends, we encounter this woman (or man) daily; the person who has been rejected by society, who needs Jesus. And Jesus said to her:
Jesus answered her: ” If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)
Just like finding Waldo on a page filled with hundreds of other pictures, we find ourselves searching for God and yet he is in our midst. What we need is an encounter with Him. What the world needs is an encounter with Him. And it is our responsibility as Christians to lead the way helping others find Him amidst the confusion of the day in which we live. People are asking me all the time if God is real and if He is real then where is He? If I say faith is belief in the unseen, it doesn’t cut if. They want hard cold facts. Show me Waldo. Where is He in this picture called life?
I am encouraged when people say they are searching because true seekers will find HIm. He is near and reveals Himself to us as we seek Him. What is extraordinary to me, Is that when we begin to understand through the Word how much Christ loves us and how He came to save us and deliver us from the burdens that we carry, we begin to see Him in every day life.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call on me and come and pray and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)
What is the secret to finding Him? Just like searching for Waldo on the pages of a very busy picture book, Jesus amidst our chaotic filled days is there, seemingly hidden, but actually in plain sight. The key? Seeking Him with our whole heart. What confounds me is that so many people say that He is not there and yet when I challenge them to dig deeper and tell me why they think this I often discover that they have not sought hard after Him. So the next question I assume that some of you are asking (that would be me too!) is: ” Why do we have to seek Him?” We do this because in all meaningful relationships, we must be willing to pursue and be pursued. One way relationships with only one person pursuing are not relationships of true connection. The definition of relationship describes connection.
The way in which to or more people are connected.
Have you connected with Jesus Christ? If the answer is no, it’s time to seek Him. He promises that when you do you will find Him. He will pop off the page of the book of your life and unlike Waldo, a fictitious figure, Jesus is real; Living Water and the One who has great plans for your life.
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