Running Away

"I'm running away."

I can remember uttering that as a child often.  Anytime I didn't like a parental decision, fought with my brother or just didn't get my way, I'd grab a backpack full of toys, sling it over my shoulders and declare my independence.  I'd yell that famous phrase as I'd leave out the door, walk to the porch and never really leave to go anywhere.

As human beings, we have a desire to run from the problems we face in life.  When something becomes to difficult or takes place out of our comfort zone, our tendency is to leave the situation. We run from our problems, our responsibilities and our commitments.  Sometimes with little or no notice.

That's exactly what Jonah did.

In Jonah 1, God gave Jonah an order.  Go to Nineveh, Israel's enemy, and deliver a message.  Tell them of their imminent destruction.  Prophecy against the nation to the very people who live there.

You see, God wanted Jonah to get personally involved.  He wanted him to look into the eyes of the condemned and deliver a message of doom for the city and the nation for angering God.

And Jonah didn't like that one bit. So he ran. He tried to go as far away as possible from the presence of the Lord. He went in the opposite direction of Nineveh. He made a statement:  He was not going to do as God had asked.

In fact, it's the only time in scripture where a prophet of the Lord refused to followed God's commission.

Now, I hope you know you can't ignore God forever and you certainly can't outrun his reach.  God is omnipresent, which means his presence is everywhere.  You can't get away from him.

Jonah knew that.  He was a prophet.  Yet, he still ran.

We do the same thing.  We know God is calling us to share the Gospel, and we choose not to share.  We know God wants us to attend church, but we find an excuse not to go.  We know God calls us to pray and meditate, but we find something else in our schedule that's more important.

We run from our responsibilities as a believer in Jesus.

But it's not too late.  You can stop running and start obeying.  It just takes a decision to stand and listen and act.

The choice, though, is yours.

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