Hunt for Him

Seeking God is more than having a casual interest in Him. It's similar to going on a hunt, and the place for us to start is in God's Word, where He reveals Himself to us.
- Ellen Banks Elwell

A hunt. Hunting for Him -- for God. Is that your priority? Let's come back to that question later.

I don't know about you, but I've been known to hunt hard for that certain pair of shoes, a specific music CD, a highly recommended restaurant, a ... well, you get the picture. We ladies know how to hunt for what we want, don't we?

I bet if I could see you (and you were being completely honest) I'd see more than a few hands raised in response to that question. Actually, before heading to the mall for a day of shopping, we could simply announce: "A hunting we will go," and our families would know exactly what we meant. Granted, we'd be leaving armed with coupons, credit cards, and checkbooks, rather than firearms. But still ... we can be dangerous.

I've seen exactly how dangerous after working my younger years in retail sales. Stampeding women the day after Thanksgiving are hard to miss. I never realized how important buy one get one free socks could be. Thankfully, that's one hunt I've learned to avoid.

Please, understand, I'm not trying to shame the avid shoppers reading this, but am only demonstrating that when we are eager to find a certain something or someone, we will indeed hunt, as well as, make the time and effort to ensure a successful hunting exhibition.

Several months ago, when Sundae, the fattest gerbil I've ever seen, was alive and well, I was treated to a true hunting exhibition right here in my bedroom. I was sitting in the exact same place where I'm seated this very moment, typing away on my keyboard, when I felt a whoosh of fur blast by my feet. I knew it was one of our feline friends chasing after something. Surprised by the intensity of the chase, I turned around to take a better look.

What I saw gave a whole new meaning to stalking. After that initial sprint under my desk, Patches, our patch-colored cat, crouched low to the ground, scooted forward every few seconds, her eyes trained on the over-fed (really fat) rodent scurrying (rather slowly) a few feet ahead.

By the way, chubby gerbils have difficulty reaching and maintaining high speeds. Sundae was sort of speed-waddling away from the fierce predator bent on his destruction. No one (not even a super-sized rodent) wants to become dinner for something bigger, badder, and faster. Patches on the other hand, was fixated on her prey. With predatory perfection, she wiggled her backside and prepared to pounce.

You might be thinking: "Geese, Carol! You just sat and watched your kitty munch on (mutilate) your daughter's helpless gerbil. What's wrong with you?"

I promise, I did not do nothing. In fact, from the first gerbil sighting, I'd attempted (unsuccessfully) to lure Patches away. I cooed, called, and eventually threatened. Granted, all this was happening really, really fast. When it was apparent that Patches had no intention of stopping her hunt, I stepped in and rescued Sundae before he became the equivalent of a gerbil sundae. (See, I'm not some animal hater!)

One definition of hunting is: to pursue or search for something. Hunting seems to be a process of sorts. Consider human hunters. They spend a great deal of time preparing for their hunting trips. They pack, prepare, and plan their schedules carefully. They spend hours tracking their prey. The enjoy the whole process of "the hunt." Ultimately, at some point, on one of their hunts, they are rewarded with a trophy buck, duck, of for fishermen/women -- a prized fishy. They've invested time, energy, research, and money to make they're hunting experience more enjoyable and fruitful.

So, what about us and our hunt for God? I bet you wondered when I'd get back to that.

Do we eagerly look forward to our time seeking Him in the Word, learning more about how to best approach Him, hunting for those special nuggets of truth He has just for us? If I'm honest with myself, I have to, and hate to, admit that I've spent more effort and energy hunting for a certain book or mascara than I have hunting for God on some days. At times, I hurry into His presence and my mind wanders a million different directions. I promise you, when Patches was after Sundae the Gerbil, she was 110% focused on the hunt, and enjoying every minute of it.

To often, we take our relationship with God casually. We think, I've been on this hunt before. I've read that verse a million times; I've studied that chapter ten times before. I've searched and found all there is to find. Oh, precious princess warriors, how wrong we are when we adapt that frivolous attitude about the King of Kings -- our King and Savior -- our Redeemer and Deliverer. We can never know all there is to know about an all-encompassing God big enough to create our universe and everything in it. How can we be bored with such a mighty God? Why would we want to stop hunting for everything He has for us? It is with Him, after all, we will spend eternity.

Doesn't a bride eagerly hunt for the truth about her future mate? She explores his past, his present, and his future dreams. She wants to know what he likes, dislikes, and believes. The bride will spend countless hours searching for the most intimate information about her betrothed. She never grows tired of the hunt. She wants to know everything possible about the object of her affections. Yet, we may find ourselves tired of our time with God, no longer excited about learning more.

I want to deny that I've ever felt that way. That, sisters, would be a lie. Thankfully, after reading the above quote, I am preparing to recommit on a whole new level to the heavenly hunt. I want to know my King more tomorrow than I do today. Don't you?

Go on. Get your Bible. Grab a pen, a journal, and a cup of tea. Curl up at the feet of the One who made you, the One you will spend forever with. He promises if we search (hunt) for Him, He will be found. When we find ourselves immersed in His love, those other worldly hunts will no longer hold the same appeal. For Christ has all we need today, tomorrow, and always.

Happy hunting!