"Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

With these famous, understated words, Henry Stanley ended his search for David Livingstone near Lake Tanganyika on Nov. 10, 1871.

Dr. Livingstone was a Scottish missionary and explorer who had become an international hero for his work in exploring the African continent. Among his other accomplishments, Livingstone crossed the Kalahari Desert, made an exploratory trip from coast to coast in the African interior and became the first European to see Lake Victoria.

In 1866 he began his third and final exploratory trip to Africa, searching for the source of the Nile River. Noted for his letters and constant updates during his journeys, Livingstone was rumored to be dead when three years had passed on this final trip with very little news of his progress.

Born in Wales, Henry Morton Stanley was a reporter and adventurer who was commissioned by the publisher of the New York Herald newspaper in 1870 to "go and find Livingstone." Stanley left present-day Tanzania with a 2,000-man expedition on March 21, 1871, and headed toward Lake Tanganyika, the last known whereabouts of Livingstone.

Stanley was both relentless and ruthless in his search for Livingstone. Two of his British companions traveling in the search party died on the journey, and Stanley himself suffered from a fever that at times rendered him unconscious. Warring tribesmen, slave traders and natural obstacles forced large detours on the way.

By October, the expedition was running low on food and water. The situation worsened, eventually reaching the point where Stanley carved the words "Starving: H.M.S" on a tree. Shortly after this low point, the expedition encountered a native caravan that had recently crossed paths with Livingstone. One of Stanley's servants began conversing with a traveler in the caravan and learned that another white man had been seen recently in an Arab settlement named Ujiji, on Lake Tanganyika.

Stanley immediately set out for Ujiji and finally, after an expedition of more than seven months, he found Livingstone. He later wrote the following description of their meeting:

"As I advanced slowly toward him I noticed he was pale, looked wearied, had a gray beard, wore a bluish cap with a faded gold braid round it, had on a red-sleeved waistcoat, and a pair of gray tweed trousers. I would have run to him, only I was a coward in the presence of such a mob—would have embraced him, only, he being an Englishman, I did not know how he would receive me. So I did what cowardice and false pride suggested was the best thing—walked deliberately to him, took off my hat, and said:

"'Dr. Livingstone, I presume?'"

Dr. Livingstone would later express some surprise that he was considered lost. He was troubled by illness and was short of supplies, but had no intention of stopping his exploration of African lakes. For a few months, Stanley and Livingstone explored the area around Lake Tanganyika. Stanley left Africa in March 1872 (though he would later return for more exploration). Sir David Livingstone remained in Africa, where he died in 1873.

The story of Stanley and Livingstone is a story of one of the great "manhunts" of our time. Though Stanley's dealings with members of his own search party and local tribesmen were at times ruthless, he did succeed in finding David Livingstone after a long and difficult search. Members of Livingstone's family would later authenticate the letters from Livingstone brought by Stanley to England.

Seeking After God

How does this story from more than 130 years ago relate to us today?

As Christians, we know that we should search after God and His ways. We are told in Proverbs 8:17 that we will find God if we diligently seek Him. In fact, we are also told there is a reward for seeking diligently after God. Notice Hebrew 11:6:

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Seeking God diligently is hopefully a need we feel in our lives, and hopefully we are aware of the reward God is prepared to give to those who do so. How many, though, are actively aware that seeking is a two-way street, and that God is doing the same for us?

God Seeks for the Loyal

Consider the example of Asa, a king of the nation of Judah in Old Testament times. Asa reigned over Judah for 41 years and began his rule as a man who sought after God. Notice the account from Asa's early days as king, recorded in 2 Chronicles 14:9-12. Asa and his men were faced with an Ethiopian army of a million men—almost twice the size of the army from Judah. Asa zealously sought God's help, and the Ethiopian army was miraculously routed.

Such an intervention should surely leave a lasting impression, but late in his reign, Asa forgot what God had done for him.

In 2 Chronicles 16, during the 36th year of Asa's reign, a large Syrian army came against Judah. Rather than seeking God's help as he had done during the early years of his life, Asa made a treaty with the Syrian king and paid tribute from the temple valuables. Notice God's message for Asa in 2 Chronicles 16:8-9:

"Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars."

The visual image given here is a very strong one—God literally searches the earth for those who are loyal to Him, and He stands ready to "be strong" and intervene on behalf of those who show that loyalty.

God Seeks for the Lost

We are also told in the Bible that God seeks in a very determined and diligent fashion for those who have strayed from Him. In Luke 15:4-7, we have the parable of the shepherd who has 100 sheep and loses one.

Judea was not an easy place to be a shepherd, and the loss of one sheep (possibly not your own) was not a light thing. Shepherds could and did track lost sheep in a very determined effort to find the animal, or at the very least to account for its death. God does no less for us when we have strayed from the path.

Verse 7 describes the absolute joy God experiences when the sinner repents—when the lost has been found.

The next few verses in Luke 15 contain the parable of the lost coin, which is especially interesting in the context of the time and place of the parable. Notice Luke 15:8-9:

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'"

There are a couple of possible reasons why this silver coin would have such value to the woman in the parable. The first would be the simple monetary loss involved. The silver coin mentioned here would have been a drachma—a silver coin originally used by the Greeks, then adopted for use by the Romans. A drachma weighed about one eighth of an ounce, and was pure silver in Christ's time. It was worth about a day's wages for a laborer of the time, so the loss of a full day's wages would cause a diligent and organized search in hopes of recovering the loss.

The second possibility concerning this lost coin would involve a great deal of sentimental value. Some sources say that married women of the time wore a headdress of silver coins bound together by a silver chain. It was roughly equivalent to a wedding ring in modern times. It is possible that this parable refers to a woman losing one of the coins from her headdress. One can certainly picture, in this scenario, someone making a long search for the missing coin, then calling together friends and neighbors to rejoice when it is found.

Consider also that the houses in Palestine were dark and the floors were typically "beaten earth covered with dried reeds and rushes" according to William Barclay in his Daily Study Bible Series. A small coin, lost somewhere in the house, would require an organized and determined search, probably involving a great deal of sweeping and sifting by candlelight. God searches for us no less when we are "lost."

Verse 10 of this passage completes the parable by saying there is joy among God and His angels when a sinner repents, similar to the joy felt by the woman in the parable when the lost coin is found.

God Seeks for You

Several years ago, one of the branches of the U.S. armed forces ran a series of television ads aimed at recruiting young men into military service. It depicted young men doing demanding and possibly heroic deeds, and then closed with the theme, "We're looking for a few good men." It was apparently successful as a recruiting tool, given the length of time the ads were used.

We should know, as we go about our daily lives, that God is looking for a few good men, women and children. As we have seen, He seeks for those who are loyal to Him and to His ways, in order to be strong for them and to bless their lives. He also looks for those who have strayed and sinned, hoping they will repent of their ways and return to the fold. God seeks a relationship with us, just as He wants us to seek after Him and His ways. These thoughts are summed up in John 4:23:

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."

We live in an age of troubled times the world over. Some live in war zones with daily and immediate threats to their own personal safety and that of their families. Others live in affluent societies, but are faced with the daily threat of violence in the form of crime or terrorism. These same societies often must deal with the spiritual threat of moral decay and degeneracy. It is a world where no one is really safe, physically or spiritually.

It should be a comforting thought to all of us to remember that we have a Father who actively seeks for us. Remember the image from the story of Asa, describing God's eyes running to and fro throughout the earth. Just as Henry Stanley sought for Dr. Livingstone, combing through the wilds of Africa, your Father seeks for you! UN