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The Holy Paradox


"My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me." (Psalms 63:8, KJV)

This powerful verse from Psalms embodies a great spiritual paradox: the earnest pursuit of God by the believer, while simultaneously being supported and upheld by the very God they seek. It's a beautiful picture of the interplay between human devotion and divine grace in the spiritual journey.

The pursuit of God is a central theme in Christian spirituality. Believers are called to seek God with all their heart, as emphasized in Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV): "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." This pursuit is not passive but active and intense, as implied by the phrase "followeth hard after thee" in Psalms 63:8.

Yet, in this pursuit, we find a remarkable truth: God is not a distant Person waiting to be found, but an active participant in our spiritual journey. The psalmist acknowledges this by stating, "thy right hand upholdeth me." This echoes the sentiment in Isaiah 41:10 (KJV): "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

This divine support is not just a comfort but a necessity. As Jesus said in John 15:5 (KJV), "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." Our very ability to seek God comes from God Himself.

The apostle Paul understood this paradox well. In Philippians 3:12-14 (KJV), he writes:

"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Paul recognizes that he is pursuing Christ, striving to "apprehend" or lay hold of Him. Yet, he acknowledges that he has been "apprehended of Christ Jesus" - Christ has already laid hold of him. This mirrors the psalmist's experience of pursuing God while being upheld by Him.

This paradox is not a contradiction but a beautiful mystery of faith. It speaks to the synergy between human effort and divine grace. We are called to seek God diligently, yet our very ability to do so is a gift from God. As it says in Philippians 2:13 (KJV), "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

In conclusion, the Christian walk is one of active pursuit and passive reception. We press on to know God more deeply, all the while being supported and empowered by the One we seek. It's a journey where our striving is undergirded by grace, and our seeking is enabled by the Sought. In this beautiful paradox, we find the essence of relationship with God - a continuous cycle of seeking and being found, pursuing and being upheld.

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