Chasing God

 Several decades ago I came across two books that ignited a passion in me. The first book, The Pursuit of God, written by A.W. Tozer ignited a fire in me to know God. To be more specific it was one chapter and one verse that captured my heart and mind. Ps 63:8 in the King James Version is written, "My soul followeth hard after Thee; Thy right hand upholdeth me." That phrase followeth hard grabbed me and has not let me go for decades. It is that verse I named this blog after. Follow hard. Since that day, I've followed hard after God. Not to know about Him. I'm chasing to know Him. To get closer. To get a more intimate view. 

The second book is titled, The God Chasers, by Tommy Tenney. The whole book is about the pursuit of knowing God. That book also ignited a passion in me that still burns to this day. I chase God day after day. There is more of Him to know. There is more to discover. There is more to learn. There is more to experience. 

Why do some people settle for the crumbs of knowing about God when we can taste and feast on knowing Him. To pursue and chase God will require a reorienting of priorities and passions. Ps 16:11 informs us there is fullness of joy in God's presence. People fall for the lie that there is fullness of joy in possessions. Our souls crave a closer communion with God. That craving can only be satisfied by Him. Nothing else will satisfy. 

Chasing God means pressing in closer to Him in devotions rather than going through religious routines. It means setting aside more time seeking Him and maybe less time in front of the television. It means reading the Bible more like a love letter than a history book. It means making our highest ambition seeking Him relentlessly rather than seeking earthly things. 

Let me ask you. How many God chasers do you personally knows. A dozen? Less? Are you one of them? Nobody is going to chase God for you. It is your decision. Nobody is going to set aside time for you to chase Him. You have to intentionally carve time in your schedule to do that. My wife has not been an early morning person until the past decade. She gets up way before the sun to chase God in Bible reading and prayer. She is exhausted at the end of the day, but she will sacrifice sleep to chase God each morning. That is just one of the things I love about her. She challenges me to chase God harder. Maybe this little post will ignite something in your like Tozer and Tenney did in me to chase God. 

The Prayer Room

About 100 steps down the hall from the side door of my office sits the prayer room. The ornate wooden door going into that room is something beautiful to behold with deep engravings. Step inside the room and you see a hand made kneeling bench with a tiny table behind it where a church directory and Bible are located. To the left there is a table with a prayer log and prayer requests cards. Nestled in the corner is a chair, night stand and lamp. There is a heater for the winter months. 

Since coming to this church in April of 2025, I have spent many hours in that prayer room. I can go in and lock the world out. Lock out all distractions. Lock out everything that would keep me from communing with God. Nobody knows when I am in there except when I tell the secretary. In that prayer room, I find peace of mind. I unload heavy burdens. I wage war against the spiritual forces of darkness. I ask and secure financing for ministry projects. I pray for revival. I also listen a lot. 

Jesus discussed the topic of a prayer room in Matt 6:5-7. In verse six, He calls the prayer room the inner room. He reminds us that the Father sees and hears what is done once we shut the door to the prayer room. Those times are so sacred people cannot really talk about them. The Father sees what is done in secret and will reward you. Sometimes those rewards are internal and invisible to the watching world. Other times, those rewards are displayed outwardly for the watching world to see.  

Consider all the things that have been by products of what is done in the prayer closet. Astounding answers could fill up the pages of multiple books filling up a library. Victories have been won. Addictions have been broken. People have been saved. Revivals were sparked. Spiritual awakenings swept nations. Droughts have ended. Prodigals have returned. Marriages have been healed. Diseased bodies have been restored. Broken hearts have been mended. I could on and on. 

God still listens and answers prayers made in all kinds of places. I love prayer rooms. FBC Seminole had a prayer room I frequented often. Spring Creek Baptist Church had a prayer room I visited often to pray and many times just to listen. I already described our prayer room here. I have a home office where I pray as well as praying in my office here on our church campus. That is the highlight of my days. Nothing I do on any day is more important than time spent in prayer. 

To develop a prayer life you must become comfortable with two things. First, you must get comfortable being alone. My friends over the years called my time in prayer "solitude pie." We ministered at youth camps and suddenly I told them I had to go be alone. Prayer is cultivated in seclusion. I'm not suggesting there is no place for corporate prayer. There certainly are times when we need to gather with others to pray. There must also be times when we seclude ourselves to be shut up alone with God.

Another thing you will need is silence. For awhile it drove me crazy that someone put a clock on the wall right next to where I pray in our prayer room. The noise of the second hand ticking distracted me. Thankfully someone relocated that clock to the far wall where I do not notice the noise. There are times when I play instrumental music while I'm praying. Most of the time I pray engulfed with silence. In a noisy world, I crave the silence. I meet God in the silence and solitude. Silence and solitude are foreign to many caught up in the rat race of life. 

For those always on the go let me ask a question. How is your soul? What is the condition of our soul? I'm not asking about your involvement in a local congregation. I am not asking about your ministries. I'm asking about the spiritual health of your soul. Are you dry? Are you empty? Are you overflowing with living water? Are you experiencing the abundant life Jesus offers. John 10:10 Can I challenge you to reorient yourself to the prayer room to commune with your Creator. If you don't have one create one. Nobody else may notice, but He will and will reward you.