The Chase
Psalm 147:10-11 (NIV)
10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.
It has already happened to me more than once. Times where, I believe, under the prompting of the Holy Ghost, I just stop whatever that I am doing and ask myself, “Am I really chasing after the right things?” Often times, this leads me down many more rabbit holes of self-reflection and more importantly, to a lot more earnest prayers and the occasional reluctant submission of my will to His. You see, what I am trying to get at here is that no one is perfect and to be constantly walking in the will of God, along with a vision that is aligned to His, can come across as a momentous task at times. Sometimes it is an incredibly ominous incident that jolts you right out of that path, other times it may be the subtle and convincing voice of the world that slowly edges you out of that path inch by inch. Whatever the case may be, we have to first admit that no matter the degree or extent of the damage done, the fact is that there has been damage done.
Let us look into the book of John in chapter 6 to further illustrate my point. This is where the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand was recorded. It stated first and foremost that people had started following Him because of the miracles of healing that He had done prior to this chapter. After the miracle itself, people were even more amazed and amassed to find Jesus who had withdrawn Himself after performing the miracle. When they found Jesus, they asked Him where He had gone but Jesus replied to them and said that they were not looking for Him but for the signs He performed. I’m sure that we have all fallen into this trap at some point in time. It is so naturally human, that even though we start out with good intentions to build a good and intimate relationship with our Father, the things of this world somehow finds their way into our minds and start to cripple us with insecurity and worry. We start to think that being financially and academically prosperous is all there is to being a Christian. Though it is true that God wants us to live in abundance, which includes our finance and our studies, the heart and mindset with which we come to God is the key determining factor. Are you like the crowds of people looking and seeking Jesus because you desire the bread? Or do you come before Him because you are sincerely seeking for the Bread which gives life?
With those questions in mind, I urge you to continue spending time with God. But this time, always remember to check your heart and tune it to the right frequency before doing or speaking anything. God desires a relationship with us, an intimate relationship which should be in no sense transactional in nature. The moment you are submitted to His will and committed to do the things He tells you to do instead of you telling Him what to do, He will make things work out for you. Just keep in mind that ultimately, it is not how rich or how well you do in your studies or career that pleases God because without Him, all of these things are but chasings in the wind that will eventually spoil and fade away under the unforgiving hands of time. What God finds pleasure in is a heart that is faithfully pursuing Him for who He is and being obedient to His commandments even amidst the voices and judgements of the world.
Let’s pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are such an amazing God, that You desire to have an intimate relationship with each and every one of us and to see us being blessed in our lives so that we may be a blessing to those around us. Father, it is my prayer that if my vision has been misaligned, You just draw me back to where You want me to be and to chase after the Bread of life instead of physical bread that will spoil and go bad. I thank You that I need not worry about anything else because You have got me in the palm of Your hand and that You will provide for me even to my old age and forevermore. May I always put You first and seek You first in everything that I do and I thank You once again for this relationship I have with You. In Your Most Mighty Name I pray, Amen.
River 
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