Chasing Hard

"My soul followeth hard after thee:
thy right hand upholdeth me."

~ Psalm 63:8 ~

"To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul's paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart."

"If we would find God amid all the religious externals, we must first determine to find Him, and then proceed in the way of simplicity. Now, as always, God discovers Himself to 'babes' and hides Himself in thick darkness from the wise and the prudent. We must simplify our approach to Him. We must strip down to essentials (and they will be found to be blessedly few). We must put away all effort to impress, and come with the guileless candour of childhood. If we do this, without doubt God will quickly respond."

"The man who has God for his treasure has all things in one. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them. The enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the source of all things he has in one all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in one, and has it purely, legitimately and for ever."

Excerpts taken from Chapter 1 (Following Hard after God) of A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God.

Below is a prayer from the end of the chapter which I have made my prayer.

"O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, 'Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.' Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty low land where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' name. Amen"