Why I stop "chasing" God

Have you ever heard someone talk about “chasing God?” At first it sounded “real spiritual.” This idea that “I’m running after God relentlessly” sounded like something I was supposed to do…that is until I stopped and actually thought about what I was saying.

A quick google search of “chasing” says that the word means a few things...here're two:

1)  “pursue in order to catch or catch up with.” 

Example: “police chased the stolen car through the city”

2)  “try to make contact with in order to get something owed or required.” 

Example: “chasing customers who had not paid their bills”

Now, both instances denote that chasing involves some type of relationship where one party is going after something (or someone) that is not readily available or, perhaps, not wanting to be attained.

Think about it. 

Is God the type of person to hide Himself from you? 

Is He not always willingly and readily available?  

Is God the type of person to take a step in the opposite direction when you make a step towards Him?

 

God is not running away from me. So, how exactly do I chase after something that's not running away from me? Now, it could be that I can't find Him or I'm having trouble hearing Him...but that doesn't negate the fact that he's right here.....not hiding. If anyone’s doing the chasing, it’s most definitely God. I was the one that wasn’t readily available. I was the one not wanting to be attained….not the other way around.

There are so many scriptures that show us how God relentlessly pursues and courts us. To further prove this relationship, the bible uses this allegory of a marriage where Christ is the husband and we, the church, are his bride. One foundational principle about marriage is that the husband pursues the wife. Proverbs says, “He who finds a wife, finds a good thing....” If we put Christ in that equation, it’s obvious that Christ is the one doing the "pursuing" and we are the ones being attained…it’s not the other way around. To say that we have to chase Him is to confuse our position in this relationship.

God is readily available at all times. He wants to be attained. He said he would never leave or abandon me. Plus, He’s omnipresent, which means He’s always here. Whatever I’m doing, good or bad, He’s always here. He’s always been here. 

So, if God ain running, then why am I chasing after Him? Better yet, who am I chasing after?