“‘I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.'”
(Jonah 2:2 ESV)
What does it mean to run from God?
In the most obvious way, running can look like disobedience: Choosing your way over God’s Word, deciding not to do something God has told you to do, or holding onto something you’re meant to surrender. Running can also look a bit more discreet: Perhaps you’ve been in a challenging season, and you’ve been using distractions to escape from it instead of consistently seeking God about it or patiently trusting Him with it. Or maybe running has looked like walking away from God altogether.
What I’ve learned is that running can rob you from fully experiencing the love of God and the freedom that comes from a life of walking with Him. God’s love is so deep for humanity, but the enemy tries to deceive us into believing lies that send us running from Him.
Sometimes these lies come in because of circumstances you’ve faced or trials in the world that seem to say that God isn’t good or trustworthy. Or you feel like obeying God means you’ll be missing out on something. Or maybe you’ve seen your own limitations and weaknesses and have been convinced that God can’t truly love you or that you have no hope for the future.
Whatever the lie is, I hope that today, you come into the knowledge and truth of God’s love for you in a deeper way — a love that doesn’t send you running but coming home to the One who can meet your deepest needs. You’re not meant to keep running, doing this life on your own, and in your own way.
Today, we’ll take a look at the book of Jonah, which shows us a picture of the runner and the Pursuer. Like Jonah, we can run from God in various ways, but God still pursues us and gives us the chance to experience His love and mercy. Here are three crucial lessons we can learn from Jonah’s journey of running:
Continue reading “Running From God: 3 Lessons From Jonah”
LizMargaret 