Pursuing God

Is God lost? Many of us feel that way. It’s as if God’s gone missing, out in the universe somewhere—and we must pick up the hunt, following any trail of breadcrumbs he may have left to go out and find him. We speak of “searching for God,” “exploring spirituality,” and “finding faith.” But what if we have it backward? What if God is the one pursuing us? What if our job is not to go out and find God, but simply to stop running and hiding? Not to earn God’s love, but to receive it? Not to turn on the light, but to step out of the shadows? Jesus reveals a God on the prowl, pursuing us, hunting down his world for reconciliation. And the question we’re left with is not whether we’ve pursued hard enough, searched long enough, or jumped high enough . . .The question is, “Do we want to be found?”

Josh Butler serves as pastor of local and global outreach at Imago Dei Community, a church in the heart of Portland, Oregon. Josh oversees the church's city ministries in areas like foster care, human trafficking and homelessness; and develops international partnerships in areas like clean water, HIV-support and church planting. Josh is also a worship leader who enjoys writing music for the life of the church.