Reasons for God’s Pursuit

Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV) - Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

Have you ever chased after a job, relationship, or goal? In that chase were you committed and willing to do whatever was necessary to attain the prize? You prayed, you fasted, and sought wise counsel to ensure that you were in proper alignment so you would not miss the opportunity when it presented itself to you. You pursued the job, the relationship, or the goal because you knew that it would benefit your life and enrich you in many ways.

God has many reasons for His pursuit of you. Before you were conceived in the minds of your parents and even before your parents came together, God had already planned your life, your days, and your destiny. Before He selected the womb in which you would be born, He formed your personality and your character. He had intimate knowledge of who you were before you were born. It is clear that you existed in Him before your earthly parents even thought of you. He knew that some of you would have very direct and straightforward personalities while others would be quiet and calm.

We are created in the image of God, and the Bible says that God is a Spirit. It is, therefore, clear that our spirit was with God before He gave us a body to inhabit. When God formed us, He purposely set us apart and gave us various assignments to fulfill. He made us a prophet to the nations. We are the ones who will tell the truth of who He is to all those we meet. He gave us a voice so that we can testify of His goodness to all mankind.

As His prophets, we proclaim to the nations that there is no other God besides Him. We are His hands, feet, and voice to those who are in need of God’s love, hope and grace.

Please ponder and meditate on this:

Why does God pursue us?

Pursuing and Finding the Chosen

Matthew 12:18-21 (NIV) - Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. In His name nations will put their hope.

The heart of God is tender and open toward you. He searches for His chosen people so He can love and show His delight in them. He wants to pour the essence of Himself into you so you can bring help to those in need. He is seeking for a people who will declare to nations His love, mercy, forgiveness, and hope.

When God gets hold of these people, He demonstrates an unchanging love toward them. He begins by showing them how much they please Him and bring joy to His heart. It is a picture of parents watching and observing everything that a newborn baby does. They are aware, alert, listening, watching, and engaging in every new accomplishment. They stand and applaud with delight and joy every victory and every step.

God is a loving parent who watches your every move and cheers you on. As you grow and develop, God begins to train you to maintain peace and order around you. He teaches you how to give compassion and mercy to those who need it. He teaches you to be like Him as you dispense to others the same grace He has given you.

In every difficult circumstance, God teaches you how to gain victory and how to keep the flame of hope alive in your heart. God is always pursuing you because He has chosen you for Himself.

Please ponder and meditate on this?

Why does God pursue me?

The Quest

2 Chronicles 16:9a (NIV) - For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.

God is on a quest for you! He is on the lookout for you. He is searching for you because He wants to strengthen you. The eyes of God are roaming the earth, looking for people whose hearts are set on Him. He is looking for people who desire to please Him. In His search, God is looking for people with steadfast hearts, hearts that are dedicated and committed to serve Him.

When God searches and finds these people, He chooses those that are sold out to His plans and purposes for their lives. In order to effectively fulfill the plans of God, you must be a mature believer in whom He can establish His covenant. If you are easily moved by every doctrine you hear, it will keep you from having a covenant relationship with God. I have known many people who have one foot in the Church and one in the world. The Bible defines them as being double-minded and easily blown away by every wind of doctrine.

God wants to raise a standard for all of you who are willing to serve Him with your whole heart. The standard is to stand for Him no matter what the cost.

The above scripture is clear that when God finds these believers, He will strengthen them with His power and might so He can fulfill great destinies through them. It is, and has always been, the desire of God to bless you, to empower, and to give you access to everything in His Kingdom.

Please ponder and meditate on this:

Do you know God is on a quest for you?

The Second Pursuit

 

Hosea 3:1 - Then the Lord sad to me, “Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.

 

After marrying the prophet and having three children, Gomer left her home and family and went back to prostitution.  God told the prophet to go get her and to bring her home. Imagine with me how the prophet must have felt - his shame, embarrassment, and confusion over Gomer’s desertion.   He had given her his love, a home and family; but, apparently, it was still not enough for her since she walked away for them. 

 

God was not finished with Gomer or His pursuit of her.  God instructed the prophet Hosea to go after her a second time and to bring her home.  In obedience to God, Hosea went looking for her, and found her not only back into prostitution, but she was also sold into slavery.  He purchased her for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and took her home.  

 

God allowed Hosea to experience this desertion by his wife to show him and the Israelites how their spiritual adultery grieved Him.  God was showing them how it felt each time they walked away from Him. 

 

In pursuing Gomer, God was demonstrating through the prophet the love He has for His people.  He shows them that, even though they turn away from Him, He will not turn away from them.  He continues to pursue and pursue even when we have abandoned Him. 

 

When we sin and completely miss it, God will faithfully, tenderly, and consistently come after you.  He will receive you back into the fold, even after you have broken His heart with your wrong choices.  When you return to Him, He is merciful and forgiving, never holding your sins and failures against you.  He extends undeserved grace to you and never condemns you.  When you return to Him, He simply says, “welcome home, my son, my daughter, welcome home.” 

 

Like Gomer, many of us at times have walked away from God but God keeps right on pursuing us.  We are thankful to have such a loving and compassionate father.

 

Please ponder and meditate on this?

 

How many times has God had to pursue you?

 

 

 

Gomer

Hosea 1:3a – So he went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 

 

As I studied the life of Gomer, the prostitute, I could not help but wonder what devastation caused her to choose that life.  In life you will go through many painful experiences; and, if you are not careful to find refuge in God, the enemy will cause you further devastation.  I am sure that Gomer was wounded and needed to be rescued.  God, in His infinite love, sent her a deliverer. 

 

After marrying the prophet Hosea, God lifted Gomer from a life of pain, lack, and heartache and gave her a home and family with someone well known throughout Israel.  God took her from insignificance to a life of meaning and significance. 

 

Many of you would have been content to stay there the rest of your life, but not Gomer.  It is clear that she had the love, the protection, and covering of a husband and home, yet she walked away and went back to a life of prostitution.  With her decision, it is apparent that something vital was still missing in her soul and that her old nature had not been crucified.  Gomer was still searching for something.

 

 I am sure in her marriage to the Prophet she encountered many challenges from the Israeli people that she had to work at overcoming.   Her self-worth and self-esteem had to be at the lowest level when dealing with the challenges and new responsibilities.  She must have needed constant reassurance and encouragement.  Even though God had rescued and redeemed her, she did not find her full sufficiency in Him and her family.  There was a void that was still in her heart.  Therefore, she went back to her former life looking for what she felt was still missing but not finding it.  She only found a deeper level of pain and rejection and would once again require God to rescue and reclaim her.

 

Ho many times has God delivered us and we still find ourselves back in our old situations.  The love of God will never stop pursuing you no matter what.  He will keep pursuing you until He wins you back because His love for you is amazing.

 

Please ponder and meditate on this:

 

What has God delivered me from and am I free indeed?

 

The Prophet’s Pursuit

Hosea 1:2-3 (CSB) - When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, He said this to Him:  “Go and marry a promiscuous wife and have children of promiscuity for the whole land has been promiscuous by abandoning the Lord.”  So he went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

 

Hosea the prophet was known as the prophet of restoration, and his name means “Yahweh has saved.”  It is therefore not surprising that God would use his life to demonstrate to you His saving and redeeming grace. 

 

The story of Hosea is a story of how God restores backsliders who have strayed away from Him.  When I began to reflect on the pursuit of God, I could not help but be moved by the story of Hosea and the amazing love God has for us.  Those whom God has chosen, He openly pursues with a tenderness and love that is measureless. 

 

God is consistent in His pursuit even when time and time again we turn away from Him.  He faithfully and consistently pursues us, as demonstrated by the command He gave Hosea to marry the prostitute. 

 

The story of Hosea is a clear indication of the love of God for all His children.  When God instructed Hosea to marry a temple prostitute, I can well imagine his reaction to God’s command.  It probably went something like this: “I know that I am not hearing from God.  I am missing something here.  What will my family and friends say about me?  I will be the talk of the town because they will probably think that I have lost my mind.” 

 

Hosea did not hesitate to follow the instructions from God because He had a relationship with God and trusted his ability to hear and follow God’s instructions.

 

There are times when God will ask all of us to do something out of the norm and we must also believe and move out based on what we hear God speaking to our hearts.

 

Please ponder and meditate on this:

 

What has God asked me to do that does not appear normal?