He is here. Even if I forget He is here. If I don’t move toward Him, if I can’t remember what I’m supposed to do in the midst of trouble, I believe Jesus wants to catch my attention. He’s trying always to catch my eye.
As I hear a whisper in my heart or feel the warmth of the sun on my shoulders, I turn ever so slightly and realize Jesus is pursuing me. The times I am sure that I’m invisible He’s watching for me and waiting for me to look up.
Perhaps you’ve experienced the awkward and humbling opportunity to be “the new kid”. In a new school, don’t we dread the lunchroom? Where should I sit? Will anyone invite me over or save a seat for me? What if I can’t recognize anyone in the crowd? These are the questions that (even as an adult) can set off physical symptoms of anxiety.
On a Sunday morning, in the middle of worship, I caught a hopeful glimpse in my imagination. Closing my eyes to tune into what God might want to reveal, the words of the song became a personal invitation to step deeper into God’s presence.
Cause Your goodness is running after
It’s running after me
Your goodness is running after
It’s running after me
With my life laid down
I’m surrendered now
I give You everything*
I could see myself dry, thirsty and weary from the week moving sluggishly along a dusty road. I could hear someone running ahead of me & feel a breeze flutter past my face. I looked up to see Jesus jogging in my direction.
He carried something in His hands. Something lightweight and a gauze color and texture. He tossed it toward me, and like a lasso catching the wind, it softly landed around my shoulders. I could feel the grace covering as it drew me toward Him.
Soft, warm and refreshing is His presence. Even as His word brings correction, the eyes of Jesus pour out compassion. He pursues me when I forget that He is so near. He calls my name when I believe no one can hear. He speaks a word in my heart of which only He understands the meaning.
“So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
Luke 15:20 NIV
So often I think of myself pursuing God with activity. The idea of chasing after God is a prevalent theme in the American church culture. We ‘go to’ church. We offer worship with singing and giving. We sacrifice time for specific causes. As Christ followers we tend to see our position as doing for and giving to and seeking after God.
However, today I think this might be backward processing. For to do these things is only really for God if we actually encounter Him in the process. And when we encounter Him, we must recognize that God was there waiting for us first.
On that day I was reminded, and again today I recognize that Jesus is here. He has my hand. He’s done so much to turn things around. He’s moved a mountain to get me to today. Truthfully, in my lifetime, surely He’s moved a number of mountains so that I could see Him & hear Him pursuing me.
He’s ready to do more. And He wants to make sure I’m watching. So, I choose today to live with eyes wide open. But I will forget at some point, and I trust He will, once again, catch my attention.
The desire of my heart is to watch for God standing on my tiptoes. I want to be caught
anticipating His goodness in a dry and weary land. This is the posture I choose today. And yet I know that I will grow weary and impatient. But Jesus will not give up on me. He will make sure that I see Him somewhere along the road. He will revive me and I will be refreshed.
Eyes on Jesus…and ready to shine.
~Lisa
Ponders:
Where are you today? And how’s your perspective?
Are you dry and crusty? Do you believe Jesus is as near as your breath? Close your eyes and whisper His name. Jesus.
What do you see?
What do you hear?
How is God pursuing you?
Are you able to recognize that He’s always waiting for you to look up? To recognize His presence?
Lord, Jesus, please teach us Your ways that we will live in and rely on Your faithfulness. Please give us an undivided heart devoted to You that we might be in awe of Your name and power and majesty. Thank You for never leaving us and for loving us first.
Amen.
*Bethel Music. Songwriters: Jason Ingram / Ed Cash / Brian Mark Johnson / Jenn Louise Johnson / Ben David Fielding Goodness of God lyrics © So Essential Tunes, Capitol Cmg Paragon, Bethel Music Publishing, Shout! Music Publishing Australia
Eyes on Jesus and Shine 
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