"Holy Spirit you are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere." These words, these pleas, escaped the mouths of the entire squad on our last night of debrief in Kuala Lumpur. There we were worshipping Jesus on the rooftop of our hostel in a Muslim city, in a Muslim country. Overcome by the beauty, I felt my body aching for a space to be alone with my Father. I left the proximity of the squad and stepped over to the side of the rooftop, overlooking the darkened city. I saw the intricate, colorful Hindu temple neighboring our building. I saw the Muslim mosque perched slightly above the rest of the city; the temple that pierced through the silence of night with a call to prayer for Allah. I saw people walking, wandering. And then I saw them. Upwardly I looked into the overcast night sky, and there dancing across the clouds were two giant lights.
It was indescribably obvious to me in the moment what God wanted me to see. These lights,they could've been anything: signaling entertainment that just could not be missed, welcoming a crowd into a stadium, or calling the lonely into a place sure to provide pleasure. But ultimately, what those lights signified was a search. They were searching for something more, dancing from one low-lying gray cloud to the next. And I knew that those lights weren't the only search party in town. God suddenly opened my eyes. This whole city, this whole country, this whole world is searching. Searching for something. Sometimes we don't even realize it. Sometimes we are more aware of it than we are even able to explain.
This search, this crazy search, is all for purpose, for happiness, for peace. We spend our whole lives turning over tables, emptying bottles, treading on treadmills, staring into mirrors, trekking across the world, and longing for the love of another. We yearn for purpose, we crave adventure, we thirst for soul food. We search and search, and so often search to find nothing but the end.
But that doesn't have to be me, that doesn't have to be you. Everything, absolutely, undoubtably everything we need can be found in Christ Jesus. Every longing can be quenched, every adventure found, an abundance of love from the most High. The best soul food you could ever imagine, will ever taste.
As my mind ventured through these thoughts I felt the tug of the Lord's gentle hand on my heart strings. "My daughter, what are you searching for?"
What am I searching for? And why am I searching?
I see the search in my life. The search for approval, the search for care, the search for purpose, the search for love. Searching, searching. But this searching has once again led me back to Truth. To Light. I don't have to search for more, because God has supplied for me all that I need. My soul is truly well.
"There's nothing worth more, that will ever come close. No thing can compare; you're our Living Hope." A deep smile and a few warm tears visited my face as the words of worship left my mouth, the whole squad in unison behind me. A world searching, a God fulfilling.
