God always take the initiative in the relationship we have with him, people do not seek after God. That can be a tough statement for a lot of people, but the Scripture supports it.
As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” –Romans 3:10-12
Now ask yourself some penetrating questions:
- How many people are righteous on their own?
- How many people understand spiritual things on their own?
- How many people seek God on their own?
- How many people do good on their own?
Sin has affected us so deeply that no one seeks God on his own initiative. My first reaction is that many churches these days have “seeker sensitive services.” Sort of interesting that God’s Word says that their ARE NO SEEKERS, but I digress.
For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me… Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.” –John 6:44-45, 65
Again, ask yourself a few questions:
- Who can come to Jesus without being drawn by the Father?
- What does a person do who listens to the Father and learns from him?
- What is the only way a person can come to Jesus?
God came to all the godly characters in the Bible and revealed himself: for example, Saul/Paul (Acts 9:1-19), the Disciples (John 15:16, 19), and specifically Peter (Matthew 16:13-17).
You cannot know the activity of God unless he takes the initiative to reveal it to you. –Henry Blackaby
Here are a few more verses to support this fact (Deuteronomy 30:6, Luke 10:12, John 15:16, Philippians 2:13, 1 John 3:16, Revelations 3:20).
Henry Blackaby uses the words, “God pursues a continual love relationship with you that is real and personal.” At first glance I feel as if God is a stalker, pursuing us and we cannot get away from him. I prefer to say that “God takes the initiative in the relationship” knowing that “there are none who seek him. No, not one.”
I did not chose God, he chooses me, he loves me, and reveals his eternal purposes for my life.
This reminds me of the children of Israel when they were in Egypt. For about 400 years they were and slavery and the Lord raised up Moses. And the scripture says that God heard their groaning, remembered his Covenant, looked upon their suffering, and have respect unto them. And the word respect means to have a favorable regard. For those many years, Generations, I’m sure that they had forgotten God and maybe even didn’t know how to call upon him.