Climbing and Chasing after God

 Zacchaeus, that short, little tax collector who greased his pockets with other people’s money, is most known for hanging from a sycamore tree in order to get a look at Jesus. Probably any kid with a bit of Sunday School under his belt could tell you that.

 I almost passed over his story to get on to meatier matters this morning, but the Holy Spirited backed me up to verse three in Luke’s account:  “And he was seeking to see who Jesus was . . . . ‘’

Wait. Zacchaeus was more than a curious spectator. And God was already at work in his heart. Even though he was still collecting and keeping undeserved money, even though he probably spent it on his own lavish lifestyle, even though to all outward appearances he probably didn’t look like a “seeker,” Zacchaeus had an unswerving determination to see who Jesus was.

Imagine the abandon that drove a pompous, wealthy man scrambling to climb a tree in time to catch Jesus pass by.I suspect Zacchaeus worried he might miss his opportunity. Circumstances weren’t favorable. The crowd was thick. He was too short to get a view.

The beauty is that I don’t think he could have missed Jesus. Jesus already knew Zacchaeus’s heart and that he was seeking. He wasn’t surprised or curious about why Zacchaeus was in tree because He already knew their paths would intersect in a divinely appointed meeting. How comforting is that!

I think we strive, and fret, and fear we will miss that glimpse of the Lord we seek. Or we worry that someone we love who doesn’t know the Lord but earnestly desires truth, will miss Him. But Jesus assures, “Seek, and you will find” (Matthew 7:7). 

Pant after God, yes, but don’t despair that He won’t find you up there in a tree.

I need those reassurances sometimes. When I am frustrated with a loved one’s struggle to know truth. Or when I worry that what I have, think, feel, do, am is not enough. When I forget He knows the longing in my heart and has already appointed divine intersections. Has already provided those glimpses of grace that elude me.

Zacchaeus’s desire to see Jesus leads right into Bible study I received for review. Chase is about chasing after God above every other thing. Originally I thought I’d do a post about it, along with an interview with the author, Jennie Allen from the big state of Texas. But as I watched the short DVD segment for the introductory lesson and worked through the first lesson, I realized Jennie’s heart for God and for other women has captured beautifully and simply the longings of my own heart, and, I suspect, yours as well.

My next week’s post was going to be on identity crisis, which, I was surprised to discover, is also the first lesson in Chase. (Although a bit of different approach!) So, instead of one review post of Chase, I have decided to incorporate bits of Jennie’s heart and wisdom into my blogs for the next couple of  Mondays as I share nuggets from this study.

I hope you will join me because, “After chasing everything the world has to offer, nothing is more satisfying than God.”—Jennie Allen, Chase.

Thank you for taking time to stop by. I pray you will be delighted by glimpses of God’s lavish love this week as we turn our faces toward that Time that changed everything.

Marcia

photo courtesy of  Kozzi