Apr 12 / Jon Collier

Finding Your Spiritual Rhythms: Pursuing

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Many people today are not rejecting God outright—they’re exhausted, confused, or quietly disengaged. Some feel burnt out from doing things for God without ever slowing down to know Him. Others feel bored because their faith has stalled at secondhand beliefs. Still others feel broken, unsure if God is actually safe, present, or interested in them.

Within the larger journey of Finding Your Spiritual Rhythms, the rhythm of Pursuing invites us to something deeper and steadier: intentionally taking time to learn who God is. Not who we assume He is. Not who others have misrepresented Him to be. But who He reveals Himself to be through Scripture, through wise teachers and mentors, and through a life shaped by curiosity instead of obligation.

Pursuing is not about striving to earn God’s attention. It’s about responding to the truth that God has already made Himself known and is inviting us to know Him more fully. For those feeling broken, burnt out, or bored with church, Pursuing becomes a healing rhythm—one that restores trust, renews wonder, and grounds faith in something real and resilient.

What We Mean by “Pursuing”

When we talk about pursuing God, we are not talking about frantic spiritual effort or checking religious boxes. Pursuing is a relational posture. It is the steady, humble decision to keep learning, keep listening, and keep growing in understanding.

Throughout Scripture, knowing God is described not as mere information, but as relationship. The story of the Bible consistently shows a God who reveals Himself—His character, His ways, His heart—so that people can walk with Him in trust. Pursuing, then, is aligning our rhythms with that revelation.

This rhythm asks:

  • What is shaping my view of God right now?
  • Am I learning from trustworthy sources?
  • Am I allowing my understanding of God to mature, or has it stayed frozen in the past?

For many, the faith they are deconstructing is not faith in God at all—it’s faith in incomplete teaching, cultural Christianity, or unexamined assumptions. Pursuing helps us rebuild on a healthier foundation.
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Scripture as a Place of Encounter, Not Just Answers

One of the primary ways we pursue God is through Scripture. But how we approach the Bible matters just as much as whether we read it.

Many people were taught to read the Bible primarily as:

  • A rulebook
  • A theological weapon
  • A source of quick answers

While Scripture does guide, correct, and teach, its deeper purpose is revelation. The Bible tells one unified story of God’s desire to dwell with humanity and restore what has been broken. When we read Scripture with that lens, it becomes less about winning arguments and more about encountering God’s character.

Healthy Pursuing invites us to:

  • Read slowly, not just frequently
  • Ask “What does this reveal about God?” before “What does this require of me?”
  • See individual passages within the larger biblical story

This approach aligns closely with the idea of actively listening, one of the Unquittable Actions. We are not rushing Scripture to get what we want; we are listening attentively to what God is revealing about Himself.

For those who feel intimidated or overwhelmed by the Bible, tools and teaching that focus on the Bible’s overarching narrative—like visual explanations, themes, and historical context—can be incredibly freeing. They remind us that Scripture was meant to be understood in community, not mastered in isolation.

Learning From Teachers and Mentors

God rarely forms people in isolation. Throughout history, faith has been passed on through relationships—parents, elders, prophets, disciples, pastors, and friends who walk a little further down the road and invite others to follow.

Pursuing includes learning from:

  • Faithful teachers who handle Scripture with humility
  • Mentors who model a lived, practiced faith
  • Communities that allow questions without shame

This is especially important for those who have been hurt by church leadership in the past. Healthy mentors do not position themselves as replacements for God or unquestionable authorities. Instead, they point beyond themselves, encouraging discernment, curiosity, and growth.

This rhythm connects deeply with encouraging speaking. When people are invited to ask honest questions and voice doubts, learning becomes healing. Silence and suppression breed brokenness; open dialogue builds trust.

A good mentor doesn’t give you all the answers. They help you ask better questions and stay engaged in the pursuit even when faith feels complex or costly.

Pursuing Without Burning Out

One of the dangers of spiritual growth is turning it into another performance metric. Read more. Learn more. Do more. But, when practiced well, pursuing actually guards against burnout rather than causing it.

This is where monitoring workload and giving rest becomes essential. Pursuing is not about cramming more spiritual activity into an already overloaded life. It’s about choosing sustainable rhythms that fit your season.

Healthy Pursuing might look like:

  • Setting aside small, consistent times for learning instead of unrealistic goals
  • Letting go of guilt when rhythms need to shift
  • Trusting that God values presence over productivity

Jesus regularly withdrew to quiet places, not because He lacked commitment, but because He understood limits. Learning who God is includes learning how He designed us to live—with rest, margin, and grace.

When pursuing becomes frantic, it stops being relational. When it is rooted in rest, it becomes transformative.

From Information to Transformation

Knowing about God is not the same as knowing God. But knowing God always involves learning. The goal of Pursuing is not accumulating facts—it’s forming a clearer, truer picture of who God is and allowing that picture to reshape how we live.

As our understanding deepens:

  • Fear-based faith gives way to trust
  • Obligation-based faith gives way to love
  • Boredom gives way to curiosity and passion

This is where discovering passion often emerges. As people learn more about God’s heart—for justice, mercy, restoration, and presence—they often rediscover their own calling. Faith becomes less about attending services and more about participating in God’s ongoing work in the world.

Pursuing fuels engagement because it reminds us why faith matters in the first place.

Practicing the Rhythm of Pursuing

Like any rhythm, Pursuing grows through practice. Here are a few accessible ways to begin or renew this rhythm:

  1. Choose Depth Over Speed. Read less Scripture more thoughtfully. Sit with a passage. Reflect on what it reveals about God’s character.
  2. Learn in Community. Join a group, class, or conversation where learning is shared, and questions are welcomed.
  3. Seek Wise Voices. Identify teachers or mentors who demonstrate humility, compassion, and faithfulness—not just confidence.
  4. Integrate Rest. Let learning be life-giving, not draining. Step back when needed without shame.
  5. Stay Curious. Allow your understanding of God to grow and mature. Faith that never changes often stops growing.

These practices create space for allowing engagement, where people move from passive belief to active participation in their faith journey.

A Rhythm for the Long Road

Pursuing is not a phase—it’s a lifelong rhythm. There will be seasons of intense learning and seasons of quiet trust. Seasons of clarity and seasons of mystery. Through it all, God remains faithful, patient, and present.

 For those who feel broken, Pursuing offers healing by replacing distorted images of God with truth.
 For those who feel burnt out, it offers rest by shifting faith from performance to relationship.
 For those who feel bored, it offers renewed wonder by revealing the depth and beauty of who God is.

In a world full of noise and certainty, Pursuing invites us into a quieter, braver posture: to keep learning, keep listening, and keep walking with a God who is always more loving, more gracious, and more present than we imagined.

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Discussion Questions

  1. What has most shaped my view of God up to this point in my life?
  2. Who has helped me learn about God in healthy ways, and who might God be inviting me to learn from now?

Mentor Tip:

 Affirm past guides and invite forward movement.
 Help them name healthy influences without guilt over unhealthy ones. Then gently shift the conversation toward the present: Who models a faith marked by humility, rest, and love today? Encourage curiosity rather than pressure as they discern next steps.

5‑Day Devotional

Day 1: God Wants to Be Known

Scripture
 “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me.”
 — Jeremiah 9:23–24

Reflection
 From the beginning, God has desired relationship, not distance. Faith was never meant to be built only on assumptions, routines, or borrowed beliefs. God invites us to know Him—His character, His heart, and His ways. When our understanding of God is shallow or distorted, faith can feel exhausting or fragile. But when we begin to learn who God truly is, trust starts to grow. Pursuing God begins with believing that He actually wants to be known by us.

Unquittable Action - Actively Listen
 Learning who God is starts with slowing down enough to listen—to Scripture, to the Spirit, and to our own honest questions.

Practice
 Read the Scripture again slowly. Ask: What does this passage tell me about God’s desire for relationship? Write one word or phrase that stands out.

Prayer
 God, help me believe that You want to be known by me. Quiet the noise and open my heart to listen as You reveal who You truly are. Amen.

Day 2: Letting Scripture Shape Our View of God

Scripture
 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
 — 2 Timothy 3:16

Reflection
 Many people carry views of God shaped more by experience than by truth—painful church moments, harsh leaders, or unmet expectations. Scripture offers us something steadier. It doesn’t ignore brokenness; it tells the story of a God who moves toward it. As we read Scripture, we are invited to let God redefine Himself to us, correcting false images and restoring what has been misunderstood. Pursuing God through Scripture isn’t about mastering the Bible; it’s about letting the Bible re‑form our understanding of God.

Unquittable Action - Encourage Speaking
 Scripture invites us to bring our questions, doubts, and confusion into the open rather than hiding them.

Practice
 Think about your earliest view of God. What shaped it? As you read Scripture today, notice where God seems different—or more gracious—than you expected.

Prayer
 God, reshape my understanding of You. Where my view of You has been incomplete or wounded, teach me what is true. Amen.

Day 3: Learning from Others Without Losing Yourself

Scripture
 “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
 — Proverbs 20:18

Reflection
 God often teaches us through people—mentors, teachers, friends, and leaders who reflect His character. Healthy voices don’t replace God; they point us toward Him. At the same time, unhealthy teaching can distort our faith and leave us feeling confused or burdened. Pursuing God includes discerning who we learn from and being willing to seek voices marked by humility, wisdom, and grace. You are allowed to grow beyond what you were first taught.

Unquittable Action - Allow Engagement
 God invites us into learning environments where curiosity is welcomed and faith is formed in community.

Practice
 Identify one person who has helped you understand God in a healthy way. Then consider who God might be inviting you to learn from in this season.

Prayer
 God, thank You for the people who have helped me know You better. Lead me toward voices that reflect Your truth and Your love. Amen.

Day 4: Pursuing God Without Burning Out

Scripture
 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
 — Matthew 11:28

Reflection
 Pursuing God was never meant to feel like pressure. When learning becomes another performance metric, faith quickly leads to burnout. Jesus invites the weary—not the overachievers—to come and rest. Knowing God includes learning His pace, His gentleness, and His care for our limits. True Pursuing is sustainable because it flows from rest, not exhaustion.

Unquittable Action - Give Rest
 Rest creates space for learning that is rooted in trust rather than striving.

Practice
 Release one unrealistic expectation you’ve placed on your spiritual growth. Choose one simple, life‑giving rhythm of learning instead.

Prayer
 Jesus, teach me how to pursue You without pressure. Help me learn from You in ways that restore my soul. Amen.

Day 5: Growing Curiosity and Purpose

Scripture
 “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
 — 2 Peter 3:18

Reflection
 Faith becomes stagnant when learning stops. But when we continue growing in understanding, curiosity returns—and with it, purpose. As we learn more about who God is, we begin to see where we fit into His story. Pursuing God fuels passion, not boredom, because it reminds us that faith is alive and still unfolding. God is always inviting us deeper.

Unquittable Action - Discover Passion
 As we learn who God is, we rediscover who we were created to be.

Practice
 Reflect on this question: How has learning more about God changed the way I see myself or my purpose? Write one way you want to continue pursuing God.

Prayer
 God, keep my heart curious and open. As I grow in knowing You, help me live with renewed purpose and joy. Amen.

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