He pursues us
For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The Dominion will be vast, and it’s prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:6-7
That word zeal means great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or object.
As I read that definition a realization came over me.
We are His cause
The energy that He expended to get to, and die on, the cross was in pursuit of the object of his desire.
We are the object of his desire
And He continues, with enthusiasm, to pursue us every single day.
At first my heart was overwhelmed with excitement and joy at the thought that He pursues me. And then, of course, there was gratitude that He didn’t leave me in my sin. But then something else came over me.
It was sadness
Sadness for much of the world that goes on, oblivious to the pursuit that is happening. There is this all-powerful God of love pursuing them every single day – and they don’t have a clue. They feel unwanted and unloved, and yet they are the object of desire of the Lord of all creation. The One who made every single thing wants them, and they don’t even know it. It truly makes my heart ache that we, as humans, could feel unwanted, unloved and alone. And all the while He is right there – zealous, enthusiastic, giving it all in pursuit of us.
In a single moment that realization could change everything
In a single moment, we could realize that:
The Wonderful Counselor is here with us.
The mighty God is our defender.
No matter whose love walks away, our Eternal Father never does.
The Prince of Peace desires us.
And how about this one? The government will be on his shoulders. And that his dominion is vast, the prosperity of his kingdom will never end, and it is full of justice and righteousness forever.
And He pursues us.
He pursues us.
This Christmas could be different. The realization that we are pursued by God could bring new hope.
All it takes is an acknowledgment of His love…a simple faith to know that He is there, and a desire to follow Him. And if this is your first time realizing that He loves you, will you allow me to pray with you?
Father God, thank You for loving me. Thank You for pursuing me, even when I ran the other way. I want to know You. I want to experience Your love. Forgive me for my sin, and for not believing. Today I believe. Today I receive the salvation You gave through Your Son Jesus. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer there’s a whole new world waiting for you! Get a Bible and read it. Find a church to attend online or in person where you can become part of a community of believers and Christ followers. Here are some links to a few churches I recommend, as well as a Bible app for your phone.
Get Libbie’s book – Five, the women in the genealogy of Jesus, in the shop today!
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