"From one ancestor He made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and He allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him - though indeed, He is not far from each of us."
(Acts 17:26-27)
The city of Athens was famous for their houses of worship. You name the "religious flavor of the month," and you could probably find it there! In fact, as Paul was walking around the city, he noticed an altar with the description: "To an unknown god." The people made sure they had all their bases covered. Surely it was possible that there was some great & powerful god they had no knowledge of!
In a brilliant stroke of street preaching, Paul told the people that he knows the identity of the aforementioned "unknown god." What follows is an appeal for them to seek after the LORD!
What I especially like about this (besides the cultural creativity used by Paul!) is his statement that God has created us to seek Him! "To search for God and perhaps grope for Him and find Him - though indeed He is not far from each of us." We're wired to seek God. Many people also "grope" for God - desperate for something they can't quite identify. But God doesn't play "hard to get." God is near to us all. Probably much closer than we know! I love that. Praise God for meeting us where we are.
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