Anyone whose hunger exceeds their grasp, is called a "God Chaser" according to author Tommy Tenney. As I pondered that statement, I came up with a few thoughts of my own, which evolved into this article.

I began thinking about hunger, prayer, and overall seeking after God. I concluded that when we pray, God is moved to answer. No matter what He is doing, He cannot get away from our cry.

During a phone conversation with a friend one afternoon, we were talking about today’s working mothers. She said in her day, she had been fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home mom, and even nursed her babies. She then recalled a not so humorous instance, when she left her little one home with hubby, and escaped for a couple hours of shopping. She was enjoying her time to herself, just walking around, looking, and picking up an item here and there, when from the back of the store, rang an infant’s hungry cry. She looked down and suddenly the front of her blouse was soaked with milk! She had to leave her cart, run out of the store, and head for home!

I was recounting that story to our mutual friend, when in the midst of the telling, it hit me like a divine revelation… that is it!

As a nursing mother’s milk "lets down" when she hears a baby's cry, so El Shaddai (the "breasted one’) cannot ignore our pleading. Our God comes to nurture us… He cannot help Himself. His Divine nature causes Him to rush to His hungry child. It also occurred to me that this is where a mother gets her "maternal instinct." God had it first! Women, as well as men, were made in the image of God. Our Creator has imparted some of Himself into all mankind. The human race has our Father’s DNA… (Divine Natural Attributes)

Our cry interrupts all of Heaven, as the woman with the issue of blood interrupted Jesus (Mark 5:25). He stopped what He was doing and asked, “Who touched me?” He did not continue His journey until He had met her need. Of course He knew who touched Him. He wanted her to come forth and confess her healing. Apparently, the requirements in the spiritual realm are: we must ask, press in, confess it done, and praise God for the victory. These steps seem to be various aspects of PRAYER! Evidently, the lady in this account didn’t have to engage the first step… she already KNEW Jesus was willing to heal her. She pressed in and got her miracle.

Moses cried out to God, “Show me your glory.” God said he would die, because no man could see God’s face and live. Moses said he didn’t care… he just had to see Him. So God relented. He told Moses to stand in the cleft of the rock; He then covered Moses with His hand, as He passed by. God couldn’t resist Moses’ prayer. Moses was desperate for God even if it meant his own death. God HAD to respond! His own DNA required it.

Pastor Tenney says, sometimes, God seems to hide from us, like playing a game. Upon closer examination of the Scripture, we can conclude that is possible. Isaiah 45:15 states that He is a God who hides Himself. Very often, the Old Testament saints would have to constrain Him to stay when they would have a visitation from Him.  (Even the angels didn’t seem to want to hang around, once they delivered their message, or did what they were sent to do).

The New Testament tells of instances, when Jesus would go off by Himself, away from the people to pray and to rest. After dealing with the Pharisees all afternoon, Jesus went to a house near the seashore, to rest (Matthew 15, Mark 7). He must have needed to recharge His physical body, as well as pray, because the Word says that He didn’t want anyone to know where He was. Yet, He could not hide. A Gentile woman heard about Jesus, pushed her way in and flung herself at His feet. She was crying very loudly, and begged Jesus to drive out a demon that had been torturing her daughter. He answered her not a word. The disciples asked Him to send her away, because she was crying after them, since Jesus was ignoring her. She was determined that somehow she would get the Lord’s attention!

Even though she was of a despised minority, it is a bit surprising as to how Jesus talked to this woman, when He finally spoke. The Lord even referred to her as a DOG, which would be a real insult to most of us.

Jesus said He was sent only to the house of Israel, and it wasn’t proper that the children’s bread be thrown to the dogs. According to their law, anyone who was not a Jew was considered a dog, meaning unworthy of God’s blessings. As Jesus talked to this Syrophenician woman, He really gave her a hard time! Yet, she didn’t object to the dog comment, but responded by saying, “Yes that is true, but even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from their master’s table,” (or the crumbs of that which was only intended for the Jews). Incredibly, she just continued to worship Him. That broke Him… compassion overruled the law. I got the feeling that a smile broke out on His dear face, when He said, “O, Woman. Great is your faith. Be it done for you as you wish.” Her daughter was healed at that very moment, the Bible says!

I began to think as I read this story, that in a sense; Jesus was testing her… just to see if she would press past the boundaries for what she wanted. He must have known that she was aware of the Jewish law: that He should not minister to a non-Jew.

I also wondered if Jesus was sort of hinting that the age of grace would soon be restored to what it was in the beginning; before all mankind, except the Jew, rejected God.

Until the time of Abraham, God was available to the entire human race. After Abraham, the world was divided into two parts, the Jews and the nations (everybody else). It was because of the righteousness of one man, Abraham, that God cut a covenant with him. God promised that Abraham’s descendants (the House of Israel) would be an eternal race and would be preserved as God’s chosen people.

However, we see that even though Jesus was called to the Jewish people, He did make a few exceptions… which were solely based on any Gentile’s faith and determination to push through His “Jews only” perimeter. This persistence always seemed to touch the Lord’s heart and gave Him a real joy and delight; especially when His own people didn’t receive Him as their Messiah (John 1:11).

We must understand that Jesus was not prejudiced against non-Jewish people. He was born as a Jew, sent to the Jews, for the Jews, and to fulfill the law of the Jews; BUT after Christ’s resurrection, He told His disciples to go into ALL the world and preach the Gospel (Acts 1:8).

After Christ had completed His assignment, (His birth, death, and resurrection), He officially opened up salvation to everyone who believed in Him… He had died for ALL mankind. Harsh law was transformed into merciful grace! Years later, God sent the Apostle Paul to the Gentile nations, and the Holy Spirit is still gathering the Son’s Bride from among the Gentiles, as well as any Jew who will embrace Jesus as the Christ (Messiah). Israel will one day realize that Jesus was truly the Promised One they had awaited for so many centuries, but only after much more suffering to yet be endured. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Another example of “chasing God” is found in the book of Luke. The first verse of Chapter 18 begins with our Lord telling us that men ought always to pray. The story then unfolds about a widow seeking after a sinful judge, for justice. Finally, the judge grants her petition, because she is wearying him. Jesus states that if an unjust judge would respond to our pleas, how much more willingly would our God answer our prayers?

Not giving up seems to be the key. The Bible says to "pray without ceasing" and "you have not because you ask not." In 1 Chronicles 4:10, (the story of Jabez), it appears that Jabez only prayed one time and God granted his request. If that was the case, it may have been because “he was a more honorable man than all his brothers.” Guess that helps!

However, it is not always as simple as asking one time. More often, it is the "pray without ceasing" scenario. There are occasions when we have to persevere, and exercise some tenacity. Jesus taught that people had to ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9). Sometimes, we have to sink our teeth in like a bulldog, too!

Jacob of old, who literally wrestled with God all night until daybreak, said, “I will not let you go until you bless me” (Genesis 32). He walked away limping, but he got his blessing, and a new name… Israel! Jacob actually saw the face of God and lived (vs. 30). What a great example of "praying through!"

We have often heard it said concerning courting couples, that the lady played "hard to get" or the gentleman "chased her until she caught him!" I can’t see God stooping to manipulate puny mortals. He certainly doesn’t need to, as we are more than outmatched!

I believe He has placed a "God-consciousness" in the heart of every man, and we are born with a desire to serve someone greater than ourselves. I simply call it “God-hunger.”

People who have never heard of our God, will find something to worship, depending upon their culture. For example, there is no deeper sincerity than for a heathen mother to sacrifice her infant to the Crocodile god, in hope that the village's crops will be blessed the coming year. The true God gave His Son to die for us, rather than demand us to send our sons to die for Him!

I’m sure that there are several reasons why God wants us to “chase” Him. One is to see if we really love and want Him. The reason He created mankind in the first place, was to have a family that freely loved Him, and He said He is a jealous God. He must come before any other, not unlike a marriage relationship. We who love and serve Him are even called the Bride of Christ! We are watching and waiting for His coming, because our hearts long to be with Him throughout eternity.

Perhaps another reason God seems to hide from us is to work patience in us (Romans 5:3). Look at how long He has waited for us! We have patience for those we love, and God is worth the wait! God already knows what is in our heart, but it is through these "testings of patience" that our true commitment is revealed to us... and that can be a real eye-opener!

God hates religion… He seeks a relationship with His loved ones. Relationships take time, hard work, and perseverance. God is not satisfied with song and ceremony, and our pitifully carnal attempts to enter His presence through surface rituals and formulas. It is our passion that brings His presence!

The Bible is full of men and women who were mightily used of God. They had to wait, pray, and stand in the faith until God fulfilled His word in and through them. When you read of the lives of Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Elijah, David, Deborah, Esther, Mary, and almost every person mentioned, you’ll see they, too, waited for years, prayed for years, and stood for years, in faith. These became the righteous ones who didn’t bend, wouldn’t bow and couldn’t burn! Several are listed in the Faith Hall of Fame (Hebrews, chapter 11) “of whom the world was not worthy.”

Even Jesus Himself had to wait, pray, and stand for thirty years before entering His earthly ministry. God does not even exempt Himself from His own Law!

Our God meets us at the point of our desperation, which is another reason we must chase Him. When He sees how desperate we are for Him, He runs to us… He knows we mean business. (It does seem as if we chase Him until He catches us!) Our Father does not hide so that He cannot be found, lest we would get discouraged. The Word tells us that if we seek God, we WILL find Him.

One day soon Jesus will catch us... up through the clouds unto Himself, that is. We call that great snatching away, The Rapture of the Church. Everything in Scripture is telling us that it will be very soon when that incomprehensible event will take place.

Will you be going? The countdown has begun. Are you ready for lift-off? If you’re not sure, please click the Salvation link on this website, and pray that prayer with a sincere heart… please e-mail me if you do. I’d so like to hear from a new brother or sister in Christ. Even if I don’t get to see you here on earth, rest assured, we will meet in the air when He comes! “Even so, Come Lord Jesus!” AMEN!

God Bless You!
Pastor Moser
8/07/04