Does God Exist? How Can I Find God?  |  Bible Reading Plan for Seekers | January 19

🌱 A Warm Welcome

Welcome to our 365-Day Journey to Discover God!

Have you ever searched for something important without knowing whether you would ever find it?

Maybe you were looking for the right job, trying to find direction in life, or searching for an answer to a question that had been troubling you for a long time. Sometimes we're willing to spend a great deal of time searching because we believe the answer is worth finding.

But searching for God can feel different.

We can't see Him or meet Him face-to-face in the same way we meet another person. Even after reading the Bible or hearing others share their experiences of faith, we may still wonder: Does God really exist? If He does, why can't I feel His presence? Does He actually want me to know Him?

Today, we're going to read a passage from the book of Jeremiah. Through the prophet, God speaks to people who are facing hardship and uncertainty about their future:

"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." — Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV)

These words introduce an important idea: According to the Bible, God is not someone who refuses to be known. Instead, He invites people to seek Him.

But what does that invitation really mean?

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📖 Bible Background | What Is the Book of Jeremiah?

Jeremiah is a prophetic book in the Old Testament. It records messages delivered by the prophet Jeremiah, primarily to the people of Judah during a turbulent period in their history.

Jeremiah lived during the final decades of the kingdom of Judah. The people had repeatedly turned away from God's teachings, and their nation faced growing threats from powerful enemies.

Eventually, Babylon invaded Judah, and many people were taken from their homeland into exile.

For these families, life changed dramatically. They were separated from familiar places, lost their normal way of life, and faced an uncertain future. They didn't know when they would return home or whether their circumstances would ever improve.

Jeremiah 29 was written against this historical background.

The chapter contains a letter that Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the people who had already been taken into exile in Babylon. He instructed them to build houses, plant gardens, raise families, and seek the peace of the city where they were living.

Some people were claiming that the exile would end quickly. But Jeremiah delivered a different message: their time in Babylon would not be brief. They would need to settle in and endure a long period of waiting.

Yet God also told them that He had not forgotten His people. He promised that, in time, He would bring them back to their homeland.

Today's reading, Jeremiah 29:11–14, comes from this letter.

This background matters. These verses were originally God's promise to His people in exile, not a guarantee that everyone who prays will immediately receive whatever they want.

At the same time, this passage reveals something important about the God described in the Bible: He invites people to call upon Him, pray to Him, and seek Him wholeheartedly.

🌿 A Look Back | From Learning About God to Seeking Him

Earlier in our journey, we've explored the Bible's description of God from several different perspectives.

Genesis introduced God as the Creator of heaven and earth. Psalm 19 invited us to consider the Creator through the beauty and wonder of nature. Psalm 139 described a God who knows our thoughts, words, and everyday lives.

These passages have gradually helped us understand how the Bible describes God.

But knowing things about God isn't necessarily the same as knowing God personally.

We can read a biography and learn about a historical figure's experiences, beliefs, and achievements. Yet that doesn't mean we've developed a personal relationship with that person.

So if God really exists, is it possible to do more than simply gather information about Him? Is it possible to come to know Him?

Jeremiah 29 introduces an important invitation:

God wants people to seek Him.

🔎 Today's Introduction | If God Exists, Why Doesn't He Just Show Himself?

For someone exploring faith, this may be a very natural question.

If God really exists, why doesn't He simply appear before us so that everyone can clearly see who He is? Why does discovering God involve reading the Bible, asking questions, praying, and sometimes searching for a long time?

These aren't easy questions to answer.

Some people grow up in Christian families and are familiar with the idea of God from childhood. Others have never read the Bible and find Christianity completely unfamiliar. Still others have tried praying but felt that nothing happened.

If you've had similar experiences, you don't need to dismiss your questions or pretend they don't matter.

Today's passage doesn't fully explain why God doesn't reveal Himself in the way each person might expect. But it does show us something important: In the Bible, God takes the initiative to invite people to seek Him.

What's especially meaningful is the setting in which this invitation was given.

It wasn't spoken to people whose lives were going smoothly.

It was spoken to people far from home, facing a long and uncertain wait.

They may have wondered: Has God forgotten us? Does praying still matter?

In that situation, God told them through Jeremiah that He knew His plans for them and invited them to call upon Him and seek Him.

Let's take a closer look at what these verses say.

🎯 Today's Reflection Focus | God Is Willing to Be Found

1. God Knows His Plans — Even When People Cannot See the Future

Jeremiah 29:11 says:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

For the people living in exile in Babylon, life was far from peaceful. They couldn't see an easy way home, and their future seemed uncertain.

Yet God told them that He had not forgotten His promises. Their story wasn't over.

The word translated as "peace" here carries a broader sense of well-being, wholeness, and restoration. In its original context, this promise pointed toward God's intention to bring His exiled people back to their homeland.

This verse does not mean that everyone who believes in God will be free from illness, failure, or suffering.

In fact, it was originally spoken to people who were already going through hardship.

For those of us exploring faith today, this passage introduces an important aspect of God's character: The Bible presents Him as a God who knows the circumstances of His people and remains faithful to His promises.

We may not understand every difficulty in life, but we can continue exploring why Scripture describes God as someone who does not forget His people.

2. God Invites People to Call Upon Him — Prayer Can Be a Beginning

Verse 12 says:

"Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you."

This is a remarkable invitation.

God didn't tell the exiles that they had to solve every problem or become perfect before approaching Him.

He invited them to call upon Him and pray.

If you're just beginning to explore Christianity, prayer may still feel unfamiliar. You may not know what to say or whether God is actually listening.

But this verse shows us that the God described in Scripture invites people to speak to Him.

Prayer doesn't have to involve complicated language. You can honestly express your questions, confusion, hopes, and even doubts.

Of course, the Bible's promise that God hears prayer doesn't mean He will always answer exactly as we request or within the time we expect.

But today's passage raises a simple question:

If God really is willing to listen, would I be willing to try talking to Him?

3. God Promises to Be Found — An Invitation to Seek Him Wholeheartedly

Verse 13 says:

"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

This may be the most memorable sentence in today's reading.

Seeking God means more than occasionally thinking about Him. It involves a willingness to learn about Him, consider His words, and seriously explore who He is.

The phrase "with all your heart" doesn't mean that a person must already believe without any doubts before beginning to seek God.

In its original setting, God was calling His people to turn back to Him wholeheartedly rather than treating Him merely as someone to call upon when they needed help.

Verse 14 continues with God's promise that He would be found by them and would bring His people back from exile. This was a specific promise to the people of Judah at that time.

We shouldn't turn it into a guarantee that every modern reader who tries praying will immediately have an extraordinary spiritual experience.

But the passage communicates an important biblical idea:

God is not presented as someone who refuses to be sought. He invites people to turn toward Him sincerely.

If you're still unsure whether God exists, perhaps you can begin with a simple question:

Am I willing to give myself some time to seriously explore the God described in the Bible?

💭 Life Reflection | Perhaps Seeking God Begins With an Honest Question

Sometimes we assume that only people who already believe in God can read the Bible, pray, or explore Christianity.

We might think we have too many doubts or know too little about Scripture to begin.

But think about it: Doesn't learning usually begin with something we don't yet understand?

We study a new subject because there are things we want to discover. We get to know a new friend by spending time together, beginning as strangers.

If we had to know every answer before starting, there would be no reason to search in the first place.

Today's passage introduces a God who invites people to seek Him.

Of course, seeking God isn't quite the same as looking up a fact and immediately finding an answer.

Some questions become clearer through reading and study. Others take much longer to think through. And some questions about God and the meaning of life may remain even after we've read many passages of Scripture.

Perhaps you've been reading the Bible for nineteen days and still aren't sure whether you believe in God.

That's okay. You can keep exploring.

You can honestly say, "I don't know whether God exists, but I want to understand why the Bible describes Him this way."

You can also ask a more direct question: "If God wants people to seek Him, where should I begin?"

Today's passage doesn't ask us to make an immediate decision about faith. Instead, it invites us to take the question seriously.

If God really exists and is willing to be known, perhaps discovering Him is worth taking the time to explore.

✍️ Questions & Small Action | Take One Step Toward an Answer

Questions to Think About

1. Have you ever spent a long time searching for an answer to an important question? What motivated you to keep looking?

2. When you read, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart," how do you feel? Hopeful, curious, uncertain, or perhaps skeptical?

3. If God really wants you to know Him, what is the question you would most like to ask Him right now?

Today's Small Action

Find three to five quiet minutes today.

Think back over the past nineteen days of Bible reading. Is there a question about God that has stayed with you?

Try writing down this sentence:

"If God really exists, what I most want to know is..."

You don't need to find the answer immediately, and you don't need to write something that sounds especially religious or confident.

If you'd like, you can try expressing that question directly to God, even if it's as simple as saying:

"God, if You really exist and want me to know You, please help me find answers."