Stop Running from God

I love the story of Jonah.

Yes, we all love the part about the big fish; however, that is just one part of this book that is full of truths and life lessons for us to grasp.

One thing I have learned as I read through the Old Testament is that the hero of every book is God! We see on every page what God is up to and how He is revealing His character and His heart! Here in the book of Jonah, we see our incredible God on display!

In Jonah 1, we see God give Jonah his next assignment which was to preach in Nineveh. Jonah did not like this assignment so he decided to run the opposite way.

Have you ever run from God?

Have you ever not liked what God asked you to do and instead of obeying… you took off? Maybe it was a job God wanted you to do or maybe it was someone that God wanted you to share the Gospel with. Maybe it was your marriage, God wanted you to pursue harder and you wanted to quit and run. Maybe it was an area of holiness that God was calling you to and you didn’t like it. We all run at times.

The Bible says three times in Jonah 1 that he fled the “presence of the Lord”. A prophet of God, thinking that he could outrun God’s presence.  In Psalms 139:7-10, it is pretty clear that we can’t hide or outrun God.

But, let us learn from Jonah five undeniable truths about running from God.

1. When we run from God, we make stupid decisions. Jonah first said “No” to God. He then tried to run in the opposite direction and flee God’s presence. This didn’t end with just one stupid decision. He told the sailors to throw Him overboard. He could have just dropped to His knees right there on the boat and repented of his sin. But no, he decided to tell them to kill him. Why do we make stupid decision when we run from God? I think it is because we don’t want to stop and think about what we are doing. We know we are wrong. So, we keep adding to the stupidity.
2. When we run from God, we negatively affect others around us. Think about the sailors in the story. They almost died because of Jonah’s wrong decision. Understand and know that when you run from God, your decision will not only affect you, but it will also affect those around you. For example, many men have run from God as He calls them to be the leaders of their homes. The negative effects that their lack of leadership has on their wife and kids are devastating. Our decisions will always affect those around us.
3. When we run from God, we invite His chastisement upon us. Jonah experienced the wrath of God. We ask, “what kind of God would chastise His own prophet?” My answer would be, “the kind that loves His prophet.” The Bible is clear in a couple of places that “whom the Lord loves he disciplines.” As His children, when we run from Him, we are inviting His discipline on our lives. He loves us too much to just let us stay in our sin.
4. When we run from God, He is still sovereign. I am not trying to use some big churchy word. Sovereign means that He is in charge. He sits on His throne and directs however He wishes. He was sovereign over the sea. He was sovereign over the casting of lots. He was sovereign over the fish. HE IS SOVEREIGN! Don’t miss how amazing God is in this story!
5. When we run from God, there is still mercy! Do you realize that the fish in this story is a sign of mercy? Jonah deserved to die in the water, but God brought a fish to rescue him. God showed mercy to the one that did not deserve it. Never ever forget that God is a God of mercy! We deserved to die in our sin and God sent His Son to die on our cross. Mercy came through a cross for us! And the amazing thing about God is that He still gives us mercy as we live out life. When we fail, He could wipe us out or never come after us. We could look to him for forgiveness and He could turn away. No, that is not our God! He is a God of mercy.

Are you running from God today? If so, return to Him. If you are reading this then He is showing you mercy, because you deserve to be left and forgotten. He loves you and has mercy and grace to lavish on you! Stop running from God! Turn to Him in repentance, He is always there!

I Peter 5:7 – “He cares for you”