The Hound of Heaven

"Surely goodness and mercy shall pursue all the days of my life...

You can think goodness and mercy just follow you, but the Hebrew word for ‘follow’ is ‘radaph’ and it means 'to pursue, to run after, to chase' or, quite literally, 'to hunt you down.' The word radaph...is first found in Genesis 14, when Abram discovers that his nephew Lot has been kidnapped and Abram gathers an army of 318 men and 'pursued them unto Dan' (Genesis 14:14). The word ‘pursued’ there? It’s is ‘radaph.'  Radaph! Chased!

The goodness and mercy of God isn’t just following after me placidly. The goodness and mercy of God pursues after me passionately...God is so bent on blessing, He chases.

God’s not out to get you — He’s out to give to you.

And God’s blessings don’t pursue temporarily — but relentlessly. It’s right there in His Word: His goodness and mercy pursue me not just some days — but all the days of my life. When I’m in a wilderness, His mercy and goodness run after me. When I’m hurting, His grace hunts for me. When I’m plagued by problems, His goodness pursues me.Whatever is chasing you — no matter what it looks like — it’s grace. And grace isn’t what makes us feel good: grace is all that makes us more like Jesus.  No matter what is hounding, the Hound of Heaven is closer — His warm breath of blessing right there on the nape of my neck."

~Ann Voskamp