Now and then these feet just take to wandering
Now and then I prop them up at home
Sometimes I think about the consequences
Sometimes I don't
Well, I realize that falling down ain't graceful
But I thank the Lord that falling's full of grace
Sometimes I take my eyes off Jesus
And you know that's all it takes
Well, I wish that I could say that at the close of every day
I was happy with the way that I'm behaving
'Cause Job, he chased an answer
The wise men chased the Child
Jacob chased her fourteen years
And he captured Rachel's smile
And Moses chased the Promised Land
Joseph chased a dream
David, he chased God's own heart
All I ever seem to chase is me
Well, they say a race can only have one winner
And you know you've got to pull out front to win
God knows the only time I'm winning
Is when I'm chasing Him
So, I wish that I could say that at the close of every day
I was happy with the way that I'm behaving
'Cause Samson chased a woman
And he chased the Phillistines
I'm not quite sure what Jonah chased
But I know he caught the sea
And Cain, he chased the harvest
While Abel chased the beasts
David, he chased God's own heart
All I ever seem to chase is me
And Jesus chased the money men
And He chased His Father's will
He chased my sin to Calvary
And He caught it on that hill
And Saul, he chased the Christians
'Til his blindness made him see
David, he chased God's own heart
All I ever seem to chase is me
Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
My heart chases after many things; comfort, pleasure, approval…really anything that will make my life easier and more enjoyable. I chase things that I believe will give me fulfillment and purpose, things I believe will somehow make me valuable and worthy. I’m chasing the wind. I rarely catch the things I chase and when I do I am, inevitably disappointed. The pleasure is lacking, the comfort temporary, and the acceptance never quite enough. There’s a reason scripture calls us sheep; we constantly wonder after foolish things.
God chases after foolish things as well, He chases after us. The amazing thing to me is that He is our Shepherd, but also became a sheep. He walked with us as one of us. He was tempted without sin, beaten without cause, tried without justice, and chased our sin all the way to Calvary.
This song by Andrew Peterson is one of my favorites and has had me thinking all weekend about it. The line that has been playing over and over in my head is in the last verse of the song: “And Jesus chased the money men, and He chased His Father’s will, He chased my sin to Calvary and He caught it on that hill.” The image described is not only humbling but super convicting. Jesus chased the money men… those who worshiped wealth and swindled their own people in order to stuff their pockets. I think a lot of times we forget that He went after the wealthy along with the poor, we imagine Him as a sort of Robin Hood who steals from the rich to give to those in need, and forget that he came to show both their spiritual poverty and desperate need for Him.
This week, as Good Friday and Easter approach, let’s mediate on how Christ, our good shepherd, chased us and how He is calling us to chase others for His kingdom. And may we be eternally thankful that He refused to give up on foolish things.
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