Have you ever felt like you wanted to run away?
Perhaps it was because God wanted you to do something you didn’t want to do, or maybe your running away is in the form of a sinful activity you want to do – like live with someone outside of God’s will, repaying evil with evil, etc.?
Perhaps it dealt with having to love someone who treated you unkindly, or maybe you felt what God was asking of you was unfair. You may want to run away because of suffering, and you feel life would be better if you could escape by leaving a challenging situation.
We might not be looking at it as running away, but that is what it is when we want to do something God does not approve.
You are not alone in wanting to run away. The prophet Jonah attempted to run away from God. He was not happy about God sending him to preach judgment against the Ninevites. These Assyrian people were brutal to the Israelites.
Jonah 1:1-16: “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. Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.” Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.) The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.”
We would think that Jonah would want to preach their judgment to them, to be the one who got to say to them that God was going to bring His wrath upon them.
But Jonah knew God well. He knew that if the Ninevites repented of their sins that God might relent, show them mercy, and give them the opportunity to prove their repentance was real.
Jonah couldn’t stand the thought of the Ninevites having a second chance with God. His emotions blurred his thinking, and led him to attempt to “run away” from God.
But God was prepared for Jonah’s escapade.
God allowed Jonah to get on a boat that was heading in the opposite direction of Nineveh.
God allowed Jonah to think he had out run Him.
God allowed Jonah’s behavior to cause loss to those whose cargo was thrown overboard.
God allowed Jonah’s behavior to cause fear in the sailors managing the boat he boarded.
God allowed the sailors to think they sent Jonah to his demise when they tossed him overboard.
But God had plans to deal with Jonah, because He loved him, and wanted Jonah to experience His mercy and grace.
It is easy to judge and condemn Jonah for his sinful behavior, but are we any better?
We want justice when we’ve been wronged, or our loved ones have been wronged. Consider the murder of so many students in schools these days. I don’t believe the first thought in most people’s hearts is for mercy for those murderers. But God wants that to be how we respond to such atrocities.
Luke 6:27-28: “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”
Proverbs 24:17: “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,”
Romans 12:19: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
I know I don’t like to suffer, and can attempt to avoid suffering. We don’t want to go to jobs that we don’t like. We don’t want to show kindness to people who treat us wrongly. We don’t want to show mercy to people who falsely accuse us.
We want everything pretty and tied up in a nice little package with beautiful wrapping and a gorgeous bow.
But God has more in store for us when He either sends or allows trials in our lives. When we walk through suffering and trials trusting and obeying God, we will experience something more beautiful than a life without tribulation. It is so hard to explain how this works, but God has done this in my life on multiple occasions, and I’ve learned to not resist the trials, but to walk through them with my great God and Savior.
What should Jonah have done when he initially felt the desire to flee?
Jonah should have talked to God about it. He should have allowed the Lord to comfort and to encourage him.
Psalm 145:18-19: “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.”
1 Peter 5:7: “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
Hebrews 4:16: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
But Jonah didn’t stop to talk with God about his distress. He reacted and set out in opposition to God. That only brought harm to himself and to those he came into contact with.
But God, patiently and with love, “caught” Jonah in His large fish! That act of mercy brought Jonah around to confess his sin, and to seek God. God gave Jonah a chance to obey, and he did.
The story ends with Jonah considering God’s question in Jonah 4 regarding concern for the welfare of the Ninevites. Jonah was still struggling with God’s kindness to them. But God gave him time to repent.
Running away is never profitable. God is available to help you, no matter how deeply you have sinned, as we see in the story of Jonah.
What question regarding your attempt to flee from God might He be asking you? Will you repent, allowing God to comfort and calm your anxious heart? If not, why not? If so, what do you think God will do for you once your heart is aligned with His?
I’m available if you want to talk about what is troubling you. You can reach me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.
Living for Jesus, Donna
P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to share it with others!
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