Have you ever noticed that God pursues us? You probably have to take a few minutes to think about the ways God has tried to reach out to you and draw you back to Himself. The truth of the matter is, most times God feels far away. We feel abandoned or neglected by Him. But the truth is the exact opposite. God pursues us. He comes after us wanting to be reconciled with us.
What Does It Mean to be Pursued by God?
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When I think about being pursued by God, the story of the Israelites comes to mind. Of all the people who existed back then, God chose Abraham to make a covenant with. He called Abraham out of his country and brought him to a land which He promised to give to Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 12:1-3).
As we read through Genesis, we see evidence that Abraham tried to live with honor. He treated his neighbors with respect and tried to do the right thing (Genesis 14:14-16). But Abraham wasn’t perfect. He lied to protect himself and he didn’t protect the rights of those in his household as well as he could have (Genesis 12:10-15,16:1-6).
As we follow Abraham’s family through the Bible, we see them do bad things. They deceived, cheated, and lied to each other (Genesis 30:37-43, 31:20-21, 34:13-29). When the descendants of Abraham became known as the Israelites, they continued their descent into sin. They mistreated their brethren, they profaned the Lord’s Sabbath, they chose idols over God (Nehemiah 5:1-9, 13:15-22, Ezekiel 8:1-16).
But God still pursued them. He sent prophet after prophet to implore them to change their ways. He sent people to warn them of what would happen if they didn’t repent and turn away from their evil deeds and back to Him. He sent messages of hope to remind them that even though they had not obeyed Him and would be punished as a result, He had not forsaken them. He still loved them and chose them as His.
God pursues us even now. He still wants to draw us into a saving relationship with Him. It’s why He sent His Son to earth to die between two criminals when all He did was love us.
What is God’s intention for us?
God has good intentions for us. Sin interrupted His plans for us but the plan of salvation was meant to restore it. God wants us to be a part of His family. He wants to remove the barrier that was put between us and Him because of sin. He wants to restore us.
4 Ways God Pursues Us
Throughout the Bible, God pursued His people through His prophets. He spoke through men and women so His people could understand His plans for them and how He expected them to act because they were His. Today, God pursues us in many ways:
1. His Word: The Bible is God’s gift to us. Through it, we can learn more about His character, His love for us, and His expectations for us. As we spend time reading and studying the Bible, we get a clearer picture of how God loves us and how He chases after us.
2. Our circumstances: The events in our lives are not meant to wear us down. Oh, the enemy would like to use them to destroy us, but God wants to use them to build us up. He allows some things to happen so we can draw closer to Him. We see a lot of this happen in the Bible, one notable example is found in the book of Haggai.
3. Our relationships: The people we spend time with have an impact on our lives. They shape our beliefs about ourselves and about God. They model what love looks like and when done well, we get a glimpse of how God loves us.
4. Other media: If you have a heart that’s open to seeing how God pursues us, don’t be surprised if you evidence of His hand in the content you consume. God will use blogs posts, sermons, movies, books, or your social media feed to speak to you and show you evidence of His love.
As I read Ms. Eason’s latest book, I was convicted of how evil human beings can be. We hurt people just because we can, never thinking that the evil we dole out on others may one day find itself turned back on ourselves. Yet God still loves us! He may hate what we’re doing, but He still wants to save us. He pursues us trying to show us that we will only truly be happy when we spend time in His presence.
My Review of Life Flight
Lynette Eason’s latest book Life Flight is a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. When Penny Carlton agreed to brave poor weather conditions to rescue someone, she did not anticipate being forced to land on a mountain in a storm or the serial killer on the loose.
Life Flight was one long shot of adrenaline. The action started on page one and did not let up and some of the twists and turns I did not see coming. I liked Penny’s character. She was resilient and brave with a hint of vulnerability.
Ms. Eason did a great job of creating a community around Penny and Holt each with their own intriguing story that’s hinted at in the first book of the series.
Holt had his own series of complications as he had family secrets and drama that made for an interesting subplot. I would have liked to see more of Penny and Holt’s relationship unfold on the pages, but given how tense and adrenaline-filled everything was, it was understandable.
Usually, one of the things I look for when reading a book is the underlying theme. When reading Christian fiction, I want to know what the author is trying to say about the nature and character of God and how we relate to Him. In this case, I struggled to find a theme. All I could think about was how evil we can be as people and the lengths some persons go to hurt others. Our hearts are desperately wicked, yet God has the power to transform them.
Life Flight reminded me that we have done nothing to be worthy of God’s love. We are sinful, evil creatures who don’t deserve the love of our Heavenly Father. But He still loves us. God pursues us and tries to draw us back to Himself.
I received an advanced reader’s copy through the Revell Reads program; a positive review was not required.
About Life Flight (Extreme Measures Book #1)
EMS helicopter pilot Penny Carlton is used to high-stress situations, but being forced to land on a mountain in a raging storm with a critical patient–and a serial killer on the loose–tests her skills and her nerve to the limit. She survives with FBI Special Agent Holt Satterfield’s help. But she’s not out of the woods yet.
In the ensuing days, Penny finds herself under attack. And when news reaches Holt that he may not have gotten his man after all, it will take all he and Penny have to catch a killer–before he catches one of them.
Bestselling and award-winning author Lynette Eason is back with another high-octane tale of close calls, narrow escapes, and the fight to bring a nefarious criminal to justice.
Purchase Life Flight on Baker Books | Amazon
About Lynette Eason
Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of Life Flight and the Danger Never Sleeps, Blue Justice, Women of Justice, Deadly Reunions, Hidden Identity, and Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of three ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, among others.
She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and has a master’s degree in education from Converse College. Eason lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.
How Do You Actively Pursue God?
God pursues us. That’s a fact. But we also need to spend time pursuing Him. We should seek Him while He may be found (Isaiah 55:6) because there may come a time if we don’t repent, that He will turn His back on us.
So how do you actively pursue God? It comes down to our choices. Every day we make dozens of choices some of which we don’t even think about or notice. But we have several opportunities every day to choose God.
We pursue God when we choose to get up and have worship instead of spending an extra twenty minutes in bed. We pursue God when we act in ways that honor Him even when it’s not the easiest option. We pursue God by not consuming certain types of content.
God is pursuing you, my friend, how will you choose to pursue Him today?
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