Once the preparation phase is finished we must actively step into the pursuit phase. Confession of sin has been made, a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit has been poured out in us, and worship and praise is pouring from us. Now is not the time to sit down in the porch swing and daydream about what it must be like to spend time with God. No! We are now all dressed up with somewhere to go.

Pursuit means to chase after someone in order to overtake them—to catch them. Our desire can only be satisfied if we take hold of God—if we pursue him with all our heart, stretch forth with our soul and spirit, and touch his heart in the secret place where he awaits us.

This may mean we push past where we have become comfortable in our quiet time and be willing to step into a realm we have never visited. Many of us are used to putting on a little praise music, reading our Bible, and giving God our grocery list in prayer. We rush in and then race out, without ever really touching God’s heart or having our heart touched in our haste.

Intimacy is about patience and timing. It rarely happens if one of the participants is on a strict or limited timetable. Sometimes—intimacy requires one to simply be still and wait. Most of us are impatient and the art and act of being still is next to impossible. But—it is in the waiting where our desire is truly tested. In those moments, waiting on God, we find out whether or not we are seeking God’s hand (what he can do for us) or searching for God’s heart (who he is). The question at that moment is motive again—why am I here and what do I really want?

If you are willing to pursue God and then wait until you experience his presence, you won’t be worried about the time or if what you are doing is safe. If being safe is your main concern you have not yet become desperate. Desperation drives you out of your safe places and into conditions where you may be vulnerable, unsure, or uncomfortable. God is good, but he is not always safe. There are moments when based on your reasoning and your experience, the next step is not safe. Why?—because you have never been here—at this place—before. True pursuit is filled with risks and genuine relationship with God—authentic intimacy—comes with a cost.

Are you willing to rest quietly—to be still and know that God is God? Pursuit is not always about running after the desire of your heart. Sometimes it is patiently waiting for the moment when everything is right and God is ready to reveal himself. The waiting is never about God’s arrival. No, the waiting is about your arrival—God’s already there.