Wanna Get Away?

“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.” Jonah 1:3



Wanna get away? Jonah did—from God, as fast as possible, so he bought a ticket and headed for Tarshish. Surely in a land so far from home, God would leave him alone. But He didn’t. In fact, Jonah never even made it to his destination. God stirred up a storm, and Jonah ended up overboard. More on that another day, but for now, here’s what’s nice to know: when we’re at our worst, God is still with us. He loves us too much to leave us alone.


We all feel like running sometimes. Obedience can be a bother. No truthful soul ever pretended or purported that staying strong and staying straight is easy. Going with God against the grain of culture, our companions, and our own cravings wears us down and wears us out. Though we know God is great (and right), we often, like Jonah, don’t desire to follow His ways and obey His wishes. We feel that life would be simpler and more like we’d like it, if God would just leave us alone and let us go—at least for a little bit. And so we run, perhaps not changing our location but changing our allegiance. We choose ourselves over God.


But He’s still there. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast”(Psalm 139:7-10). Even if we wanna get away, we can’t. Even when we’re at our worst, He’s with us.


You are loved by a God who will not let you go. Though you kick, scream, sulk, pout, and give Him the silent treatment, God still holds you close. “You are all around me. You are behind me and in front of me. You hold me in your power” (Psalm 139:5). We should obey, for He is our King. We could obey, for He is our strength. But when we choose not to obey, He doesn’t leave us alone, for He is our Salvation.


Nothing you do will ever change God’s heart about you, but you might change your mind about running when you realize how much you are loved.