Have you ever been infatuated with someone like a celebrity, a historical figure, or a current leader figure? I’m not talking about where you are mildly interested in a person, but more of an infatuation where you’ve studied them, read about them, or you “follow” them to the extent that you know almost everything about them and feel as if you “know” them.
Confession… I’m a huge fan of Abraham Lincoln. There was a time in my life about 10 years ago when I had a huge infatuation with him. I read just about every book I could get my hands on that was directly about or related to Abraham Lincoln, (Hint: Read Team of Rivals… one of the best books ever… outside of the Bible of course).
And it’s true, that after a while of learning so much about one person, I began to think that I knew him. But the reality is that I didn’t. I didn’t know Abraham Lincoln and I never will truly know him. I know about him and what he was like and what he accomplished. But I will never really know him. Why? It’s because I’ve never met him. I’ve never talked with him. I have never heard his voice. You can't truly know someone unless you spend time with them.
What’s sad about this is how often I fall into this pattern in my relationship with Jesus. I learn a lot about Jesus through reading, studying, and listening to podcasts more from an academic pursuit, than getting to know Jesus through spending time with Him in prayer. Obviously, I couldn’t have spent time with Honest Abe even if I had wanted to... he’s long gone, but Jesus… well… that is an entirely different matter… He’s alive and desires to spend time with and have a deep relationship with those who seek Him. He desires for you to find Him and He desires to meet with you so you can know Him personally.
"I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me." Proverbs 8:17
“Lord, forgive me for not seeking you completely. While I know learning about you is an important part of growing in my walk with you, I also know that spending time in prayer and in your presence is crucial to also knowing you and being in a relationship with you. Lord, thank you for your promise that those who seek you will find you and that when we seek you, you will meet us, and that when we meet with you, we can simply expect to spend time with a loving, tender, and gracious Father. Lord, help me to be infatuated with only you.”
