Hot Pursuit…
Psalm 23:
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
as long as I live.
Some friends and I have been studying this particular Psalm over the past few months.
Psalm 23.
One of the very first scripture passages I put to memory years ago, it holds special meaning to my heart.
As with any scripture, certain passages come to life a little more in different seasons of our life.
When I first memorized this scripture, it was to combat fear and anxiety. It packs a heavy punch and I loved recalling it when I was in a black hole of fear.
This time, when I began to study this passage, something just struck me in a new way.
This sentence…
“Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,” v. 6
Some translations use the word “follow”, which is a nice word, but “pursue” is on another level!
If I were to “follow” someone home, it doesn’t sound too crazy.
However, if I were to be on a “pursuit” of someone as they were driving home…that sounds like a desperate need to be where they are going.
The Hebrew word for “follow” used here in this passage is 'radaph'.
Radaph is translated… “To pursue, to run after, to chase” or literally, “to hunt you down”.
WHOA!
When I think of God chasing me, running after me, hunting me down…
It takes my breath away.
What person on Earth does not want to be pursued??
When someone pursues us, it is personal.
It is intentional.
It is purposeful.
David is painting a beautiful picture in this Psalm showing how God is always chasing after, hunting down, and running after him.
His “goodness” and “faithful love” HUNTING US DOWN is a scene that I just cannot fathom!
The only thing I can think of in relation to this is the love I have for my children.
As parents we pursue our children.
We want to know them.
We want to give to them.
We want to be with them.
We want to protect them.
We want only GOOD things for them.
We want to be in on all the details of their lives.
My children are now 23 and 19.
They have very busy lives.
Friends, school, and relationships consume most of their little lives at this moment.
However, that will never stop me from pursuing them.
I will continue hunting them down and asking how they are doing. Asking them if they need anything.
I want to know all the little details of their day!
Mostly, I get little bits and pieces, but I hang onto every word!
I wonder, is this how God feels about me?
I get busy, distracted, pulled away by people, things, relationships.
Does He hang on my every word when I do finally make time for Him?
Oh yes, He sure does.
This Psalm assures us….He will never let us go.
He will never leave us.
He will never stop hunting us down.
His Love for us is all consuming.
Picture that, sweet friend.
If we think we can ever be out of God’s reach, we don’t know the depths of His Love for us.
Thanks to technology and Life 360, I can find out where my kids are any time of the day.
I love checking on them. (just ask them! haha!)
I love knowing about their schedules and their days.
God feels the same about us.
He is in a hot pursuit to give us His Very Best.
There is never a time when He doesn’t know exactly where we are.
Unlike Life 360 that gets off track from time to time, He never gets off track with us.
We cannot escape His love.
Psalm 139 assures us of this.
You belong to Him.
You will never be able to out run Him.
What comfort this brings my heart.
No matter what season you find yourself in today, He is with you.
You are never alone.
He is in hot pursuit of YOU.
He promises His Goodness and His Faithful Love to us.
Rest your sweet head on that Truth.
being pursued,
jill
