Run

Prayer Focus: India

Bible Reading: Jonah 1-4

Scripture

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said:
"In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry. (Jonah 2:1-2)

Observation

The wickedness of the land of Nineveh had "come up" before God and he sent his servant Jonah to preach against them. And what did Jonah do? He ran away. In fact, he ran in the opposite direction of Nineveh! When the boat he was on was in danger of sinking, his guilt compelled him to tell the sailors to pitch him overboard to save themselves.

They did.

I think Jonah must have thought that was the end. I think he realized in a visceral way the truth of Psalm 139:8 "If I make my bed in the depths, you are there." No matter how far or fast he ran, he couldn't get away from God' Spirit. At some point during those three nights in the belly of the fish, the other half of the truth in that verse hit him - no matter where he was, GOD WAS STILL THERE. And in his distress, he called out to Him.

Application

I don't know about you, where you are in your life, what God has called you to do that frightens you. I don't know what you are running from.

But I do know this: WE ALL RUN.

We all get afraid of the things that seem to big for us. Maybe God isn't calling you to be a missionary to a hostile and wicked nation. Maybe he isn't telling you to preach the truth of His Kingdom to people who might react violently.

Wait... he did.(Mat. 28:16-20)

When I read the story of Jonah, I think of all the times when I've come face to face with the big plans God has for me and it seemed too big, and I ran.

Prayer

Lord, help me to remember that no matter where I go, or how far I've run, that you are there. Help me see that nothing I've done is ever too much or too far away to come back to you. The enemy likes to camp out and ambush me with lies, he tells me that you don't really love me enough to take me back - that I'm not worth the effort. It's so easy to project my own fears and insecurities on you! You rescue me from the wicked world I live in and from the wickedness of my own self-hate. Nothing can stand against your powerful mercy!

I pray for those who read this devotional today who need to know that you love them enough to pursue them. You are the God of second chances! It doesn't always mean that we get out of those plans (it didn't for Jonah) but it does mean that there is no where we can go that you aren't there.