Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
-Jonah 1:1-3 (NKJV)
-Jonah 1:1-3 (NKJV)
When Jonah was called to action by the LORD, he chose to flee and hide from Him. In an effort to escape the LORD’s calling, he actually got on a ship headed in the opposite direction. In Samuel 10, Saul was chosen by God to be king; he too tried to hide from the LORD and his calling by hiding among some equipment. Whether we try to hide from the LORD by running away or hiding in equipment, the LORD always finds us. How silly it is to think that we can escape God, but that doesn’t seem to keep us from trying.
I write this today totally convicted as I too am guilty of hiding from the LORD. I find myself overwhelmed at times by where God is taking me or fearful of what He will require of me, not being willing to “go there.” So instead of going to Nineveh, I too flee to Tarshish; you will find me hiding below deck avoiding the storm, avoiding God. How silly this is, that I would think that I could avoid His calling by hiding from Him and avoiding Him…this didn’t work for Jonah or Saul, why would it work for me? What is it going to take for me to obey God’s will, to be willing to “go there” and anywhere else He calls me to go? Will it take being swallowed by a big fish for me to finally be obedient?
How often we run and hide from God when He is working in our lives and calling us to action. We are resistant to where He wants us to go, what He wants us to do or who He wants us to be. Many times we hide out of fear or overwhelm thinking that if we hide, the LORD will go away. Yet, the LORD always finds us and despite our disobedience His will is always done.
I am so thankful that the LORD does not give up on me even though I run away or hide from Him. What a miserable life I would have if He left me in my hiding place. While it is often uncomfortable and scary when He pulls back the warm comfortable covers to expose my hiding place, I am so grateful that He does. When the covers are removed I am no longer resisting His will in my life and His will and His plan for me, for my life, are always much grander than anything I could imagine.
I write this today totally convicted as I too am guilty of hiding from the LORD. I find myself overwhelmed at times by where God is taking me or fearful of what He will require of me, not being willing to “go there.” So instead of going to Nineveh, I too flee to Tarshish; you will find me hiding below deck avoiding the storm, avoiding God. How silly this is, that I would think that I could avoid His calling by hiding from Him and avoiding Him…this didn’t work for Jonah or Saul, why would it work for me? What is it going to take for me to obey God’s will, to be willing to “go there” and anywhere else He calls me to go? Will it take being swallowed by a big fish for me to finally be obedient?
How often we run and hide from God when He is working in our lives and calling us to action. We are resistant to where He wants us to go, what He wants us to do or who He wants us to be. Many times we hide out of fear or overwhelm thinking that if we hide, the LORD will go away. Yet, the LORD always finds us and despite our disobedience His will is always done.
I am so thankful that the LORD does not give up on me even though I run away or hide from Him. What a miserable life I would have if He left me in my hiding place. While it is often uncomfortable and scary when He pulls back the warm comfortable covers to expose my hiding place, I am so grateful that He does. When the covers are removed I am no longer resisting His will in my life and His will and His plan for me, for my life, are always much grander than anything I could imagine.
COACH'S CALL TO ACTION
- What is the LORD calling you to do or who is He calling you to be? What is your Nineveh?
- What is the ship in your life that you are using to escape God’s calling and where is it headed?
- It took a storm and being swallowed by a big fish to turn Jonah around. What will it take for you to stop running and hiding from the LORD?
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