Simple and Predictable

I love food and I love to enjoy it!  The funny thing is, I always have.  In high school a friend brought me two or three dozen of my favorite homemade cookies.  Because they were “all mine” I sat in front of the TV watching my favorite shows and ate all of them in one sitting!  Where was my mom!?  I lost control! 

Tastes and flavors are important to me, thus the reason I don’t venture off into new tastes very often because I don’t want to be disappointed.  I love my old favorites so much so that I repeat them often.  Some people think this shows a lack of adventure.  I would rather like to think I am consistent.  There’s nothing wrong with being predictable in my eating habits, right?  Don’t answer that. 

Like I savor the moments I spend with delicious food, I also savor the moments I spend pursuing God (no, I don’t worship food . . . hopefully anyway).  I long for moments in prayer when I feel connected to God's presence; He is always near waiting for me to talk with Him.  When singing worship songs, I am comfortable resting and trusting in His presence and don’t want to leave, so the song in my heart ripples into my day.  Being challenged by the Truth of God's Word guides me to desire more of Him, thus the deeper pursuit of what Truth means. 

I have started to reread one of my favorite classic Christian living books, The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer. His writing is very rich, and I can’t get past the preface!  I have even been stumped by a quote on the back of the book!  “During a train trip from Chicago to Texas in the late 1940’s, Tozer began to write The Pursuit of God.  He wrote all night, the words coming to him as fast as he could put them down.  When the train pulled into McAllen, the rough draft was done.  Although written in such a remarkably short period of time, the depth, clarity and completeness of Tozer’s message has made (this book) an enduring favorite.”  I enjoy writing, but I wonder if there is enough in my heart to spill onto pages for a complete night.  Would the words come so profoundly as Tozer’s?  I think not!  Consequently, I marvel at his depth of insight into what it really means to live pursuing God. 

What I’ve learned from his writing in the preface is the remedy for revival in our hearts is a thirst and hunger after God.  We need to be eager for spiritual Truth and pursue it above all else.  As seasoned hearts are renewed in faith in Christ, the wonder of our relationship with Him is "recaptured."  For others, their pursuit of Christ will begin and their lives will be forever transformed.  Our pursuit of God should be what we live for!  Tasting the sweet presence of the love of Christ should compel us further, deeper to investigate that love and truly taste Him.

The simple and predictable longing of my heart is to love God, know Him, and make Him known.  This I hunger and thirst for.  God is my favorite person!  When people observe my life, I want them to notice that I am consistent and, yes, predictable in my pursuit of God, no matter what comes my way.  True enjoyment in life is a treasure, and I want to savor the joy I have in my relationship with the One who loves me most.  

I’ve tasted God, and He is good, but there’s more to sample and trust.  This is life's greatest adventure!