The Stunning Reality That God’s Grace Pursues Us First
I wasn’t looking for God the summer I turned twenty-four. But God’s grace pursues us even when we’re not seeking it. I was looking for direction, for belonging, for something solid to stand on after living years feeling like each step I took was on wet sand. I had a somewhat vague faith, inherited from my parents. The kind that lives in the back of a drawer and gets pulled out at Christmas and Easter. But it wasn’t anything personal. Nothing that felt like mine.
That summer, I worked with a woman at a bookstore, and she invited me to her church. One Thursday morning while we were restocking the shelves, she just said, “You should join me Sunday. I think you’d like it.” And then she went back to arranging books like her invitation was such a commonplace thing.
I almost said no. I almost said I was busy that day. What could some random church give me? And what was so special about this week? She waited for my answer. Instead of declining, I agreed, mostly because I didn’t have a good reason not to. That Sunday, I showed up in the back row with my arms folded and my expectations somewhere around zero. She didn’t say a word, just smiled and joined me in that row.
When God’s Grace Pursues You Before You’re Ready
I don’t remember the sermon topic. I just remember the feeling. The quickening of my heartbeat during the opening worship song. Like a room I hadn’t known was cold suddenly had heat in it.
Nothing dramatic happened that morning. I didn’t walk down an aisle or raise a hand. But about midway through the service, I relaxed and unfolded my arms. A sense of calm surrounded me. As I looked around at the others gathered in that space, their soft, unworried expressions called out to me. After several years of going through the motions, checking boxes, and doing what I thought everyone expected of me, I sensed something different in the room that day.
When I look back now, I realize a change had been set in motion that I hadn’t initiated. A pursuit had clearly been underway long before I walked through those doors.
That’s the part about grace that rearranges everything once you see it. God’s grace pursues us first. Not after we’ve cleaned ourselves up, or developed a sincere seeking heart, or logged enough curiosity on the spiritual side to qualify. Before all of that. While we’re restocking bookshelves and saying sure to church invitations because we don’t have a better excuse.
Ephesians 2:8-9 frames it in a way that leaves no room for misunderstanding: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” The initiative belongs entirely to God. The gift arrives before you deserve it. And that’s the whole point.
What It Means That Grace Came Looking for You
This month we’re unpacking GRACE — God’s Rescue At Christ’s Expense. And the rescue part implies you weren’t getting out on your own. It implies someone comes right to where you are, not where you should be. It implies the whole operation is initiated and funded by someone other than the one being rescued.
God’s grace pursues us not because we flagged it down or earned the attention. It pursues us because that’s the true nature of the God behind it. A God who looks at where we are, knows exactly what it will cost to reach us, and comes anyway.
That woman arranging books on a weekday at work was part of a pursuit that had nothing to do with her sermon or her strategy. She just showed up to that conversation, willing, and grace moved through the opening.
It’s been moving ever since.
Join the Conversation
Think back to the moment or the series of moments when God’s grace first broke through to you. Who or what did He use to get your attention before you were even looking for Him?
Or maybe you’re still searching today, unsure what you need but wondering if there’s something more out there, better than what you have now. If that’s you, stick around with us and discover more about God’s grace.
Leave a comment and share your thoughts with our community. Someone else might need to hear what you have to say. Or, if it’s too personal, jot it down in a journal for some quiet time reflection.
