Give Up the Chase - by Abby Kelly

“And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9)

Are you worn out trying to get close to God? Does it feel like you’ve been trying to do all the right things, chasing God, and yet a relationship with Him seems elusive?

The Bible never tells us to chase God, and in fact in Psalm 46:10, God says that we will know Him when we are still. We do not need to frantically chase after God trying to please Him, hoping He’ll hear our prayers, longing for Him to take interest in our lives. In her book, Chasing God, Angie Smith says, “…running [is] based on the presumption that we want [God] more than [He] wants us.” But the Bible says that God loved us first (1 John 4:19). God loved us so much that He sent Christ to die for us. Even when we were completely undesirable and unworthy, God made a way for us to have a relationship with Him. Now, as believers in Christ we are called to follow Him.

In the Greek, the word “follow” is akoloutheō, meaning to “follow one who precedes, to accompany him”. Jesus called the disciples with the words “Follow me.” That’s what we do. We walk with Jesus. While He is our God, He is also our faithful companion. We can trust that He is right beside us and He will never leave us.

Abby Kelly writes for a number of Christian outlets. Her e-book, The Predatory Lies of Anorexia: A Survivor’s Story, is available as a Free Read for a Review. Contact