God’s Pursuit Of Us - Sacred & Still: A 5-Day Lenten Devotional

“Long ago, the LORD said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.” (Jeremiah 31:3, NLT)

“Adam? Eve? Where are you?”

I can hear God calling to them in the garden as they hid behind the bushes, ashamed. They had never experienced such a feeling before. Even after showing themselves, they still wanted to hide, blaming others to cast aside any guilt of their own. They were attempting to cover their shame, but they also cut off their hearts from the intimacy they once shared with God. This was the first time humans tried to hide from him, but it wouldn’t be the last. Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s actions, and now we certainly know shame and guilt in many of the same ways.

Believing lies about God, ourselves, others, and the world around us, we cling to what we hope will give us peace, security, and love, realizing too late that many of those things simply leave us still lacking. We fall into sin that promises comfort and ease, only to find ourselves bound to selfish desires and lusts of the flesh that don’t really fulfill our God-given purpose or desires. We are left hiding parts of ourselves from God, not wanting him to see the bits and pieces we’d rather undo or wish away. We, too, hide ashamed.

And yet.

That wasn’t the end of Adam and Eve’s story, and it won’t be the end of ours either. As you read through the Old Testament, you’ll find instances time and time again of God pursuing people. His longing for an intimate relationship is evident, his love clearly expressed, his desire to draw all people to himself plainly stated. He called throughout the ages, “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself” (Jeremiah 31:3).

But he has never been completely understood by humans—not in the fullness that he desired. He has been seen only as if through unclear glasses, darkly. His complete heart for all people has remained shrouded. Filtered through an imperfect humanity, his attributes as a loving God have been at times distorted and unknown. Those who were his ambassadors on earth often missed the essential parts of who he is, mistaking them at best and misrepresenting them at worst. They put heavy burdens of rules and regulations on people, which God never meant for us to have. Maybe we thought his love, his desire for us, was too good to be true. Or perhaps we knew we’d made mistakes and felt we deserved pain and strife. Maybe we didn’t think we were worthy.

Regardless, this is where Jesus entered the story. Fully human. Fully God.

He arrived here as a baby, growing in all the ways every human does, and yet living a perfect life. He came to show us who God is. Who he has always been. He came to make him clearly known.

And he came to teach us how to live and how to love, paving a way back to the Father who never stopped pursuing us.

Now we see in Jesus that God did not come just for one group of people but for all of us.

“In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,

beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,

in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,

the people who sat in darkness

have seen a great light.

And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,

a light has shined.”

MATTHEW 4:15-16, NLT

A light shined for all of us who sat in darkness, Jew and Gentile alike. Jesus came to redeem and restore. To forgive sin and heal the diseased. To love the unlovable and the unclean, and those of us who sit in the shame of our sins, hiding ourselves from God.

Jesus came to pursue us, once again, but this time as a human so that we could touch, feel, and hear him speak clearly. Although sin was still present on earth, God chose to walk again with us.

Some call this day Ash Wednesday, putting ashes on their foreheads to signify repentance. But I think those ashes are also a beautiful picture of our humanity, of our mortality. Scripture tells us that from dust we came, and to dust we will return (see Genesis 3:19). This is worth remembering. We are nothing, and yet we are everything to God.

As we start making our way through the Lenten season, we remember God’s pursuit of us. We come, ready to be fully known, fully loved, just as we are. No more hiding. No more shame. We step out from behind the bushes and call back to God, “Here I am!”

And he comes to us, running as a Father to his children, ready to embrace us and to love us. Nothing forced or coerced, just a simple welcome. All we have to do is allow ourselves to be welcomed back into the place that was always meant to be our home.

With God’s help, we will respond to his promise for each of us: “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them” (Revelation 21:3).

Heavenly Father, thank you for pursuing humanity from the very beginning. Thank you that you never change but have always remained the same. You are continuously loving us and calling us to a relationship with yourself. We’re so grateful you sent Jesus, who wholly encompasses your nature and shows us clearly who you are and have always been. Thank you for showing us, as your followers, how to live on the earth. Transform us to look more like you over these next several weeks. We love you. Thank you for loving us. Amen.

For Reflection: How has God pursued you in the past, and how is he still pursuing you today?

Sacred Rhythms: Now that you’ve had time to think about it, write down several ways God has pursued you and thank him for each one.