A prevailing theme in the Bible, and one that is often overlooked, is that in every significant development in salvation history, God is the One who initiates the next step. From the creation of the world to the calls of Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets, Mary, Paul and many others -- God breaks in. Generally, these people are minding their own businesses, living their lives, and God invites them to do something.
What is revealed in all this is God's desire for loving, intimate relationship with humans. The ultimate manifestation of this is the Incarnation, where God takes on human flesh, to be one with us, to experience human life from our perspective, then enables us to experience God's divine life as mediated through the God/Man, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Jesus' parable of the lost sheep reveals a God who is seeking out those who have been lost, even if it is through their own poor decisions.
I do not wish, here, to draw up sweeping generalizations comparing Eastern and Western religions, but there is a difference. We can learn from the East, and benefit from certain practices, to be sure, but we'd best be careful about unsavory tendencies known in Christianity as gnosticism and quietism.
So, for me, when I'm not sure which way to go to "find God," I find it helpful to recall that great Biblical lesson: that God is the one who finds us . . . where we are . . . just as we are. I have to be open and receptive, to be sure, and I have to act like someone who belongs to God (yes, morality is important, too). But, ultimately, I have to give up on the notion that I can do anything -- including meditative disciplines -- to "realize" the divine. Far more helpful is to wait on the Lord like a lost sheep, and trust that I am given what is needed to be here now in love.
Baaa!
