Book Review: The God Chasers: My Soul Follows Hard After Thee by Tommy Tenney

 “There is much more of God available than we have ever known or imagined, but we have become so satisfied with where we are and what we have that we don’t press in for God’s best.”

― Tommy Tenney, The God Chasers: Pursuing the Lover of Your Soul

A God chaser is someone whose unwavering desire to experience God's presence drives them to pursue the unattainable in the hopes of being discovered by the uncatchable. A child follows after a devoted dad until, all of a sudden, the father's powerful arms embrace the pursuer.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

What is a God Chaser? 

A God chaser is an individual who hunger exceeds his reach. A God chaser is a person whose passion for God's presence presses him to chase the impossible in hopes that the uncatchable might catch him. A child chases a loving parent until, suddenly, the strong arms of the father enfold the chaser. The pursuer becomes the captive; the pursued the captor. 

Paul put it this way: "I chase after that I may catch that which apprehended me" (Phil. 3:12). Job was a God chaser. He said, " Oh that I knew where I might find Him!" David was one; he said, "My soul followeth hard after Thee." Paul was one too: "That I may know Him...." The passionate paths of God chasers can be traced across the pages of history from Moses the stutterer, David the singer, and Paul the itinerant preacher, to contemporaries like A.W. Tozer, Leonard Ravenhill, and countless others who share one common bond: an insatiable hunger to know their Lord. These are people who relentless, passionate pursuit of Christ often made them appear foolish in the eyes of others.

My reaction to this novel...

This book was lent to me by our Pastor at the worship center. He knew that I enjoy reading, so he lent it to me because it is one of his favorite books about Christianity. The book is thin, so it can be read in one sitting, but it took me three days to finish it because I was busy and wanted to fully understand what I read.

At the beginning, I found it somewhat difficult to understand because there were words used that were quite profound. There were also parts that I didn't grasp initially, but after some time, I understood what the author intended. There were numerous scenes in this book that truly made me reflect and marvel, as it turns out that such events can happen to a believer like myself. 

I was really amazed by the part where a believer simply passed by, yet many people were moved to tears because they felt the presence of the Lord in that believer. He didn't need to speak anymore to spread the Word of the Lord, because His presence was already felt in his life. For me, that is one of the desires of a believer like me – to live in a way that shows we are following the Lord, and for His light to shine through us so that others may see it.

I also have a favorite part there, where we shouldn't be surprised if our relatives or acquaintances who get to know the Lord still don't believe, because they might not see in our lives that we are following Him. So why would they believe our testimonials, when we haven't really changed, right? How will they believe if they don't see in our lives that we are followers? It's like we're fooling ourselves. Honestly, when I read this, I asked the Lord if He sees in my life that I am following Him. So I really thought about it and started praying that the Lord would guide me and see in my life that I was walking and obeying His Word. 

For me, this book is an eye opener on how to pursue the presence of the Lord. There are times when people think that simply praying is sufficient. Sometimes, it seems like they just squeeze in prayer amidst their busy schedules. But in this book, it provides readers with a way to realize that quick prayers are not enough, and even attending church every Sunday is still insufficient to draw closer to the Lord. There are other things that need to be done to get closer to Him. Usually, these things are overlooked or simply ignored. It's just sad because there are also things mentioned here that I involuntarily do, so it's an awareness for me to be more diligent not only in seeking God's hand but more so in seeking His face. I highly recommend this book to people, especially believers, to read it because there is a lot to learn from it and it can also be a tool for self-evaluation.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)