You may be listening today because you are pursuing God, but I assure you, God pursued you first. He created you, he knows you, and he pursues you. And no doubt, he will find you! He will use absolutely anything to get to you, draw you in, and bring you into a relationship with him.

Let me tell you about an encounter with a young man who was clearly being pursued by God. On Saturday evening, I was on a United Airline flight from Denver to Miami, returning home to the Florida Keys after hosting the BIG Life Healing Retreat in Colorado. I had slept outside in 40 degree weather for 3 nights in a row. Sleep had been at a minimum, and living had been large, so I was tired. The flight would be 4.5 hours, so I looked forward to resting all the way to my midnight arrival. But, God had other plans.

I’ve come to love when God has other plans. Even when it’s inconvenient for me. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when it’s totally out of alignment with my plans, I get excited, and here’s why … because anytime God’s plans ruin my plans, I know I’m stepping into something much bigger and better.

I was sitting by the window in row 36, and although the entire airplane had filled, somehow the two seats next to me were empty. They announced boarding was complete and I couldn’t believe my good luck with this jackpot! I would be putting my feet up! I would be knocked out in minutes!

Suddenly, a young man comes barreling out of the restroom and plops down in my row. However, not just my row, but the middle seat. There was no one sitting in the isle seat … we could have had space between us, but no …. My jackpot of an empty row had just hit major disappointment. Little did I know what a jackpot this was.

Hiding my confusion over his insistence to be hip to hip by me instead of scooting on over to the empty seat, he starts an immediate conversation. You know how you can just tell you’re not getting out of talking? Yeah, I knew … that nap wasn’t going to be happening.

In the 30 minutes we sat on the runway, he proceeded to tell me how nervous he was about flying and how he had already researched the odds of the plane going down. He had also intentionally chosen row 36 because it was the safest. I had chosen row 36 because it seemed more likely I might be alone at the back of the plane.

His name was Dorian, he was 22 years old, traveling back home to Florida after flying in to see a concert at Red Rocks. Guys, I have to admit, I even tried to slip out of the very close, face to face conversation by asking about the band he saw, pulling it up on Spotify, putting in my airpod and listening to his music. Fail. There was no getting out of this. Music or no music, we were talking.

As we begin to take off, he looks at me with absolute fear in his eyes and says, “Will you pray for our flight?” So, I grabbed Dorian’s hand and I prayed. It was then that I knew, this boy was being pursued by a God who loved him wildly and had him right where he wanted him.

Three hours into our flight, the isle seat is still empty, as Dorian and I are leg to leg, face to face, in economy seating and I’ve discovered he’s a total seeker. He was one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever spoken to, however when you’re that intelligent, faith can be a struggle. Faith was indeed a struggle for him. He’s studied all the religions, he’s read all the great philosopher’s books, even quoted them, but he didn’t know Jesus.

So here I sit with a young man who is terrified of flying, clearly actively being pursued by God, and of course it was the bumpiest, most turbulent flight I’ve been on in a long time. One, to keep me awake … and two, to keep Dorian seeking.

And it was right then I felt it … a prompting. People often ask how do you hear from God and know it’s him … well when there’s a sudden drop of a thought but it doesn’t go to your head, and instead it goes to your heart and it’s not something you would normally want to do but aligns with God’s goodness, then you know. And I knew. I knew I was to offer him the one thing in my carry on because it is most precious to me.

What’s that one thing … my Bible.

My Bible that is filled with highlights, notes, quotes, and prayers. Literally all my work from daily study time. The thing I open each morning to find the wisdom to share with you. Now God is prompting me to give it away to a complete stranger who certainly didn’t ask.

I would have happily given away my Lululemon crossbody bag, my favorite bright colored Teva sandals, my hand-painted denim jacket, my glass ring from Murano, my brand new happy hat with a VW bus on it. Anything … but Lord, my Bible?

I cried when I offered it to him. He accepted and we hugged.

Then, he turns on the overhead light, leans in and says, “Can we read some together?”

Y’all, I had the honor and privilege of being there when this young man opened a Bible for the first time. He opened to a place I had marked, John 10, and he began to read aloud. Running his fingers across the page as he read, he saw every line I had highlighted, and every note I had made. He read, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

How in the world did this happen? It happened because Dorian had been pursued by God!

My friend, God will follow you right onto an airplane and plop you down in row 36 to get to you! He will chase you until he catches you. Understand, GOD IS NOT GIVING UP!

Why was God chasing Dorian? Because he wants a relationship with him! Not to condemn him, not to punish him, but to love him and bring him into the fullness of life he was created for.

Has God been chasing you? Has he been relentlessly pursuing you? ABSOLUTELY HE HAS! Why? So you can have a relationship with the Creator of the Universe that will absolutely change everything!

Now maybe God caught you 30 years ago, but maybe he’s been chasing you again recently because you fell away a bit. Hey, that happens to a lot of us along the way. Here’s the good news, even if you fall away, God won’t.

Psalm 139: 1-7:
“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!”

You see, my friend, it’s not just that God knows everything, HE KNOWS YOU.

It’s not just that God is everywhere, HE IS EVERYWHERE WITH YOU.

It’s not just that God created everything, HE CREATED YOU.

And God has been in pursuit of you. God is divinely involved in the details of your life.

God isn’t trying to control you, he’s trying to invite you into a life changing relationship with him. But here’s the cool thing about God … he doesn’t just write an invitation and hope you find it, he relentlessly pursues you to personally present it to you.

Remember after Adam and Eve messed up in the garden, they ran from God, but God still pursued them. (Genesis 3). He’s still pursuing you.

Now, for those of us who have been caught by God and walk in relationship with him, he’s given us another invitation … an invitation to be his wing girl! Oh my gosh, I love that so much … YOU ARE GOD’S WING GIRL!

When he prompts, all you have to do is respond in obedience. Sometimes he will prompt you to speak, other times he will prompt you to just listen. Sometimes he will prompt you to give, other times he will prompt you to receive. Sometimes he will prompt you to forfeit sleep, get over yourself, open up your hands, and just let his love flow through you.

And the results … well, that’s not ours. It’s truly none of my business what happens with my precious Bible from here. Maybe it will be treasured and maybe it will trashed. Maybe it will be mocked, but maybe it will be meticulously studied. The harvest is not mine, but what an honor to be part of planting the seed!

So, I have a new Bible ordered and on the way to me. I will start all over with my highlighting and journaling. And if he prompts me to offer it to someone he is pursuing in the future, I’ve already decided my hands will be open. Why? Because I’m God’s Wing Girl!

A “wing man” is someone who is on the “inside” and is used to help secure a potential relationship. Will you be his Wing Girl today? Will you let God bring you to the inside of his working as he pursues the ones he wants a relationship with?

I was once the one God pursued. I’m forever grateful to be his chosen girl.

And now you’re either the one he is pursuing to bring into relationship, or you’re the one he is calling to be his Wing Girl! Either way, won’t you accept?

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