God searches for us. Our readings today illustrate the dynamism at play in the biblical relationship between the Creator of all things and humanity.
Whereas the Matthean version of the Our Father is followed by Jesus emphasizing the importance of forgiveness, Jesus frames the wandering aspect of human nature through a series of domestic images, suggesting that finding the Lord is not an enterprise of human mastery but childlike simplicity. God reveals Himself in the same way a close friend opens a door when you knock on her door during a moment of need, however inconvenient.
The Gospel of Luke situates Christianity’s most important prayer with a statement about how God relates to human nature. Innately, we long for and seek God. Whether it be through the apprehension of beauty, goodness, or truth, humanity’s most distinctive instinct is the natural desire to see God, and He is waiting to be found.
More than stationary waiting, God scavenges for a way for mercy to gain access into our lives. Abraham bargains with God, convincing Him to relent in hope of the precious few he hopes are virtuous in Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord lets himself be swayed, perhaps due to Abraham’s own relish of human goodness.
If we find our faith growing tepid, let us recommit to searching for God sincerely. Perhaps we can begin by allying ourselves with the people around us who feel like they would be one of those ten who Abraham desperately hoped existed. Through them, God can save.