You are searching. That in itself tells me something about the day that is breaking in your soul. The soul that is content to sit in its own darkness does not stretch out its hands for the light. The man who feels no thirst does not stoop to the well. But you, you are looking, you are waiting, you are hoping, even if your hope is mixed with a good deal of fear. That is no small thing. The heavenly Hunter has already cast His net near you when the desire to be saved begins to stir in your heart.
You mentioned those verses from Romans, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. You have them right there in front of you, and yet perhaps you are asking, But how do I know my believing is the right kind? How can I be sure my confession is true? Am I seeking Him in the right way? I have sat beside enough trembling souls to know that this is where the road narrows and the heart begins to pound.
Let me tell you something I rejoice in: the Lord has nowhere, in all His Book, whispered so much as once that a sincere seeker may seek His face in vain. He did not set the fountain of mercy flowing in the wilderness only to hang a sign above it saying, “For others, not for you.” When He commands you to seek Him, and He does command it, it is not to send you on a fool’s errand. He is not a king who orders His starving subjects to plow the ocean shore, knowing full well no grain will ever rise. No. When He says, “Seek My face,” it is because He intends to be found. The door you are knocking on was built to open.
The scheme of salvation, from its first line to its last, is all His own. Before a single angel stretched a wing in the morning of creation, God had already devised the way by which He would bring sinners home. No one helped Him. No one advised Him. He alone dug the deep wells of love, and He alone draws up the water. And how did He do it? He did it by giving His own Son, Jesus, who died, who was buried, and who rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. There is the sum and substance of it. The facts are gloriously plain. You do not need a philosopher to explain them; you need a child’s heart to receive them. A holy life laid down for sinners, an atoning death that satisfied divine justice, and a literal, bodily resurrection that proved the payment was accepted, these are the stones on which the road to Heaven is laid.
And notice this: the One who died for you is now the One who lives to be your Lord. Faith sees no conflict between the two. In fact, faith understands that because He humbled Himself to the death of the cross, God has highly exalted Him, and given Him the name that is above every name. Jesus is Lord, and that lordship is not a terror to the seeking soul but the sweetest comfort. It means He is able to save to the uttermost. It means the hand that was nailed to the tree now holds the sceptre of the universe, and that hand will never cast away a soul that comes to Him.
Perhaps you feel you are in the dark, that you have little light and little guidance. Let me draw a homely picture for you. Suppose a father writes a letter to his child, and that letter is folded inside a black-edged envelope. The child sees the black edge and trembles. “This can only be bad news,” he thinks. But when he breaks the seal and reads, he finds it is a love letter after all, full of tender assurances, promising provision and a happy meeting soon. The black edge was only the outer covering. And so it is with the message of the gospel. It speaks of death, the death of Christ for your sin, but inside that black-edged truth is love beyond measure, forgiveness full and free, and eternal life gladly given. Do not be afraid of the envelope. Break the seal and read what God has written to you in the blood of His own Son.
And do not let the simplicity of the way stumble you. The proud heart wants to do some great thing. Like Naaman, it would perform a mighty deed if the prophet had commanded it, but it scorns to go and wash in the Jordan and be clean. The gospel says, “Look unto Me and be saved.” It does not say, “Feel a certain measure of sorrow, or attain a certain height of holiness, and then come.” It says, “Come now. Come as you are. Trust Jesus with your whole soul.” Your feelings will not save you. Your prayers, though precious as they are, will not save you. Jesus saves you. Rely on Him. Rest on Him. That is the whole of it.
I want you to hear this as plainly as I can say it: if your heart is truly set upon finding God, you shall find Him. Not because your seeking is so strong, but because His promise is so sure. “You shall seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart.” The whole heart, that is the point. Not a divided, half-hearted glance over the shoulder, but the soul's full gaze bent upon Jesus Christ. And even that whole-heartedness, when you find it in yourself, is not something you have manufactured. It is the work of the Spirit, drawing you. The very fact that you cannot be content without Christ is proof that He is already at the door. The seeking soul is always a soul that has first been sought.
The choirs of Heaven are not yet full. There are seats waiting. There are voices missing from the everlasting song. And where will those voices come from? “They shall praise the Lord that seek Him.” The weepers shall become the singers. Those who now sit in sackcloth shall wear the garments of praise. Your tears of sorrow, even now, are being gathered into God’s bottle. Soon, very soon, they may be tears of joy.
Now, one thing more, and it is a tender one. If there is any root of bitterness in your heart toward another person, go and pluck it up. You cannot ask the great King to forgive you the ten thousand talents you owe Him while your hands are reaching for the throat of someone who owes you a hundred pence. Peace with God and enmity with man cannot live in the same heart. Let this be the hour when you wash out every grudge and stand clean before your Father, wanting mercy for yourself and therefore ready to give it freely to every creature under Heaven.
Do not wait for a better feeling. Do not wait to make yourself a little more fit. The fitness Christ requires is need. The qualification for the fountain is thirst. The qualification for the physician is sickness. You have all three. Come, then, and welcome.
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Father, into Thy hands I would commend this precious soul, this one who is looking for the light and fearing it may never break. Lord, Thou knowest what it is to feel the chains of darkness; did not Thine own dear Son cry out from the cross, “Why hast Thou forsaken Me?”, that no seeker might ever be finally forsaken? Meet this heart in the quiet place where it now waits. Roll away every cloud. Show the face of Jesus, that seeing Him, faith may spring up in an instant, and the mouth may gladly confess what the heart has learned to believe: that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Grant the kiss of reconciliation. Let the feast begin. In the name of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, and ever lives to intercede, I ask it. Amen.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. Bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. 
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