You Can Run, but...

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.’ But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” Jonah 1:1-3

“So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:15-17

What’s it like to be a fugitive? How does it feel to be running from something or someone? Is running really any better than staying and facing the problem?

These questions and more were probably at one time or another the center of thought for the man who in the Bible has the distinction of taking the first three-day submarine excursion. Jonah rebelled against God’s specific direction. He became a fugitive from God. What Jonah learned, among other things, is that you may run from doing God’s will, but you cannot hide from God.

It is the same lesson which Adam and Eve learned shortly after their act of disobedience in the garden. The attempted to hide from God, but God was fully aware of exactly what had taken place - and where they were.

We all know that as Christians we face temptation. Especially in those times when we are all alone, it is most likely to happen that the tempter will offer his golden lie: “But nobody will ever know.” That idea seems to strip away our resistance until we reel with the awareness that we are not alone - God Himself is present.

Do you know that God truly does know all about you? Your past, your present, your future, your deeds, your thoughts, your motives? What amazes us is that He loves us just the way we are.

Scripture to memorize:
“Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence?” Psalm 139:7