If People Are Searching For God, Why Couldn’t They Find Him?

Why are so many people doubting the existence of God today? Why couldn’t they find Him? Isn’t it true that if we only seek, we shall surely find?

Many among us have read God’s promise in the following Bible verses:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8 (NABRE)

Why then do many people seek and still fail to find what they are looking for?

A Searching Heart

We are indeed given the promise that if we only seek, we shall find the truth. And God never lies. How could He break His own word?

But we have to understand the substance of His promises. We have to ask ourselves if we have met the conditions required for us to be given what He has promised us.

The first question we should us is:

“Are we truly seeking for God with all our hearts?”

Because many people who doubt Him may not be looking at all. They simply want God to reveal Himself without seeking. They say they can’t hear His voice when they wouldn’t even spend a quiet moment to listen to Him speak.

Why Does He Not Speak?

Could it be that He has already spoken but we’ve been too busy or too noisy to hear His words? Could it be that we have even covered our ears so we could no longer hear?

We don’t want to hear Him because we live in darkness and we don’t want to turn towards the light. We refuse to listen because we don’t want Him to take away our pleasures, our sins and every idol we hold on to in our hearts.

What We’re Seeking

For many people, it is not God that they may really be searching for. What they may be seeking is evidence that He does not exist at all.

Observe your thoughts and your actions. Are you gathering evidence that would tell you about God’s existence? Or are you gathering proof to disprove other people’s faith in God?

To seek is to be open. The opposite is to close oneself to any evidence about something you don’t want to believe in.

God’s Call

We can further say that even if we lack the initiative, God should have had more concern about us. He should have made a way to make Himself known to all.

The truth is that God does care and He makes various ways for us to find Him.

He has chosen the Jews and made a covenant with them. Jesus Christ Himself came down from heaven and entered our human history. He left evidence of His life and resurrection. He chose twelve apostles to preach His word and He made witnesses to attest to His existence. He even left the Bible for us to read ourselves and verify the truth.

Even in the midst of our busy lives, He whispers. Sometimes He shouts through our pain, calling us to go to Him and to rest our weary hearts upon Him.

How many times have you felt a nudge to follow His voice but you stopped and turned away?

A Time For Everything

Despite our stubborn hearts, God is still patient and abounding in compassion. His mercy continues to pursue us until we are ready to know Him and to listen to His voice.

It could be that He is waiting for that right moment when our hearts will be open enough to receive Him. When we could somehow open our hearts so we could finally see.

Until the very last moment, He is there. He is willing to forgive us and to help us find peace and true happiness. When that time comes, don’t turn away. Don’t look upon your guilt or your many sins.

Look only to His mercy and believe. Let Him embrace you and carry you in His loving arms.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their way,
and sinners their thoughts;
Let them turn to the Lord to find mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.”
-Isaiah 55:6-7 (NABRE)

Jocelyn Soriano is the author of To Love an Invisible God. “Is it really possible to love a God we cannot even see?”