Running From God

Chuckle: "Raising kids is part joy and part guerrilla warfare." --Ed Asner

Quote: "Very few things motivate us to give God our undivided attention like being faced with the negative consequences of our decisions." --Charles Stanley

"The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.' But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD" (Jonah 1:1-3 NIV).

Our great God is omnipresent -- there is no place where He is not. No matter how far you may try to run from Him or Hide from Him, He is with you. This can be disturbing news if you are trying to run from God in disobedience, as was Jonah; but it is wonderful news if you know Him, love Him, and wish to draw near to Him in obedience. No matter where you go or what you do, His comforting presence is always with you. "I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! (Psalm 139:7 NLT).

Our old pal, Jonah, learned first hand the futility of trying to run and hide from God. He found there was no place to hide. Jonah was a prophet for Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.). This story of Jonah took place around 759 B.C. The terribly wicked and cruel city of Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire, an arch enemy of Israel. Jonah had no desire to preach to such horrible people, and I'm sure he feared for his life if he went there. Nineveh was 550 miles northeast of Jerusalem in what is now Iraq. Rather than obey God, Jonah went to the port city of Joppa and boarded a ship for Tarshish, 2500 miles west (in Spain) of where God had told him to go. He tried to get as far away from God as possible.

Jonah's disobedience brought extreme misery upon the sailors on the ship and upon himself as they endured a terrible storm. Jonah was thrown overboard and was swallowed by a giant fish. When he repented, the fish spat him out on dry land. "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim the message I gave you:'" Now Jonah was ready when God commanded him a second time to go preach to the city of Nineveh. As a result, the whole city and surrounding communities repented and turned to the Lord. When Jonah stopped running and began to trust and obey God, he was used by God to accomplish mighty things.

This story is not about Jonah, a great storm, a great fish, or even a great city. It's about a great God who loves us and responds to our repentance with love, compassion, and mercy. He proved to Jonah that He was a God of second chances. Perhaps you have been running from God. If so, repent and God will give you a second chance to become what he wants you to be.

Love, Jerry & Dotse