Hot on God’s Heels, But Always Behind Him

If you were to ask my parents for stories about me as child, I can name at least two that would be in the line-up. The countless number of times I was “lost” (wildly wandered away) on any given day in K-mart, and the countless number of times I defiantly reached for the hot stove during a battle of wills with my mother. It comes as no surprise that, in my childlikeness with God, my track record shows a similar trend. I have two speeds when it comes to following the Lord, too fast or stubbornly slow. I am learning about the pace between those polar opposites, the better pace. When I’m excited about a direction from the Lord it takes every ounce of my will to stay behind him. When I am unsure about a direction from the Lord it takes every bit of courage to keep up with him.

Here are three aspects I’ve found to the better pace. What would you add to the list?

1. Following Takes Humility

Following is not about being in front, being the fastest, nor is it about being ahead of the game. It’s about following—from behind (radap = to pursue, from behind, harass). I don’t know about you, but I find our culture is always pressing us to be ahead. It’s not a bad quality to possess. But, that power or momentum can make us bad followers if we don’t keep it behind our faithful, perfect God.

Let’s take Abraham’s journey of faith in Genesis 22 as an example. There is a beautiful pattern found in the way Abraham followed the Lord. He got a word from God to sacrifice his son Isaac, gathered everything he needed and set out for his journey—He listened and obeyed. A little ways down the road Abraham left his servant behind, and he and Isaac headed up the mountain, calling it worship —He listened again and obeyed. On the mountain, Abraham built an altar, tied Isaac to the altar, and as he raised his knife the voice of the Lord pointed to a better sacrifice— He listened again and obeyed. If Abraham had ran wild with the first instruction from the Lord, if he had gotten ahead of God, he would have needlessly sacrificed Isaac.

When we are following the Lord, disciplining ourselves to the pattern of ‘listen and obey’ is the difference between life and death. Hot on God’s heels, but always behind him.

2. Following Takes Intentionality

Following is not about hoping it all works out, meandering, or a I’ll-get-there-when-I-do attitude. It’s about intentionally staying close to the leader—(radap = to pursue, from behind, harass). As mentioned above, I would always lose my parents in K-mart. I would stop and swing inside the racks of clothing because in my mind they were gymnastic bars, and I was Mary Lou Retton. I would hop and jump down the aisles because in my mind the black and white checkered floor was a giant game of Hop Scotch. I always assumed that whenever I snapped out of my imagination my parents would be wherever I was. It was never true, they never followed me around. The employees at the customer service desk knew me by name. And they didn’t have to ask for my mother’s name either as they called for her over the intercom like a Blue Light Special.

We are called disciples for reason. There is a discipline to keeping up with our leader. In the Parables of Ten Virgins Jesus teaches us how to keep watch, how to be intentional. The five foolish virgins had lamps but no extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they had to go buy more oil (wandered off, if you will). While they were catching up, the bridegroom came and the five wise virgins who had plenty of oil (who kept up) entered the marriage feast. “Keep Watch,” Jesus says to them (Matthew 25:1-13).

When we are following the Lord, disciplining ourselves to stay close to our leader is the difference between life and death. Hot on God’s heels, but always behind him.

3. Following Takes Trust

Following is not about being in control, which is a side effect of fear, nor is it about demanding our own way. It’s about trusting the leader. I’m coming to realize more and more that when fear grips my heart and I in turn grip the reigns of my life, I am believing a lie about who God is. Fear torments us (1 John 4) and distorts the image of God. Instead of believing and trusting that God is good, faithful, and present, we begin to believe he is unkind, forgetful, and he has abandoned us.

I can attest that the only way I have been able to overcome fear is by worshiping the Lord. If I’m worshiping, putting God in his rightful place and fixing my eyes on him, then everything else takes its rightful place underneath his lordship. Consider Psalm 32: 8-9, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. The Lord never intended to bridle us and pull us along. He wants us to follow him. He wants our attention and our trust.

Maybe the cute picture of goslings following their parent goose isn’t accurate for radap (pursue, follow from behind). Maybe pursuing the Lord is less idyllic and a little more awkward. Hear me out. In the Garden of Eden our world became inside out and upside down from what it was intended to be. Choosing to follow the Lord on earth is going against the grain, against the curse. It takes some adjusting. Maybe following the Lord is more about getting underneath and taking on his yoke. Is there a better way to learn someone’s movement, someone’s pace than to yoke up with them? And, really, what better way to harass, press on to the know, the Lord than to strap ourselves to him and say, “I’m not letting go. Where you go, I go.” Talk about hot on your heels! His yoke keeps us from running ahead and from falling behind. As we trust him and surrender, we find the promised ease and lightness of his leadership—in some miraculous, heaven meets earth kind of way.

Previously in the series — Pursuit and One Step Closer