Furious Pursuit

You’re not defined by what you’ve done. You’re defined by Who pursues you.

We take a look at Tim King and Frank Martin's new book

I have always believed that the key to pursing God is to understand His pursuit of us. Therefore, I can whole heartedly recommend Tim King and Frank Martins new book “Furious Pursuit, Why God Will Never Let You Go.” Most books about relationship with God focus on what we must do to walk with God. Such beginnings often change our lives but only temporarily. When our zeal wears off, we end up where we started. King and Martin’s book takes an entirely different approach. It begins and ends with God’s zeal for us. Their premise is that understanding that zeal is what causes us to fall in love with God.

Surprisingly, the book does not begin with stories about the author’s zeal and strength, but their own weaknesses and frustrations. Here is an excerpt.

“Not so long ago I (Frank) was on the phone with Andy, one of my dearest friends. We've known each other since grade school, and there's not an ounce of pretense between us, which is the thing I treasure most about our relationship.

I could tell that Andy was feeling down. He had been struggling through some tough life issues, so I tried to cheer him up by sharing some thoughts from a book I'd been reading about pursuing God with passion. The book talks about seeking God through spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, and meditation. I could tell by Andy's silence that he wasn't buying into it. Finally he sighed and said, "You know what, Frank? I'm sick of chasing after God. I want God to chase me for a while!"

Even though these words came from the most brutally honest friend I have, I wasn't sure what to think. Should he be saying such things--thinking such thoughts? Is there room in our relationship with God for such candor?

Part of me wanted to remind Andy that God doesn't answer to us, that his thoughts are higher than ours, that if God feels distant to us there must be a reason for it, that it's not right to question God's ways, and that it's certainly not right to doubt him. But I didn't say any of that. In fact, what I did say surprised me.

"To be honest, Andy, I'm tired of chasing him too."

I still don't know exactly where that came from, but it was the most honest I'd been in a long, long, time.”

These words are the beginning of a change of mind for both authors as they begin a journey into God’s grace. It is this journey that leads them home. 

Furious Pursuit reminds us that History is the story of God’s Son, Jesus. Our purpose is not to create our own story but to participate in Christ’s story. In doing so, we are one with the Lord and with one another. It is only this perspective that sets the heart free from fear, and it is only the heart free from fear that can love.

If you are looking for a change of mind about God and your relationship with Him, Furious Pursuit is a very good read.