"From one ancestor God 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 one of us.  For 'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring.'"

This passage is part of a longer exposition by Paul which should be read in its entirety: verses 22-31.

"God allotted the boundaries of the places where we would live, so that we would search for him and perhaps even grope for him." (another translation)  This is an extraordinary insight given to Paul by the Holy Spirit.  One cannot search for anything unless one has boundaries, limits within which to search.  Externally there are the limits of the created world, limits of nationality, language, family.  There are the personal limits of our own capabilities, our intellect, spirit and gifts.  So let no one, no matter how severely limited, think they do not have the capacity to seek and find God.

But true life is the interior life, and it is within our own hearts that the preeminent search for God should occur.  It follows then that the boundaries which matter are interior boundaries, established that we may seek and find God in our own souls.  Our interior boundaries differ from our neighbors'.  The intellectual seeks God through his intellect, the deeply quiet and reserved seek God through silence and contemplation, the lover of truth revealed through words seeks God through Holy Scripture.  The path is as different as the person.  It would be a great mistake to try to duplicate precisely the means which another uses to seek God within their heart.

Always there is the enemy to throw us off the scent.  Always too there is our natural weakness and tendency to seek things other than God, brought about through the effects of our fallen nature.  But we must rouse ourselves and not settle in for excuses or else our hearts will never find the peace for which they long.