Running

"My son, do not despise the LORD'S discipline, and do not resent His rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in."

- King Solomon, Proverbs 3:11

"Your exterior facade of 'everything is alright' only works for a little while, and then the cracks begin to show. You can only hide behind yourself for so long. You can't keep running."

- Corallie Buchanan

Anybody else have a love/hate relationship with the story of Jonah in the Bible? I hate it because it's like looking in the mirror, and it reminds me of all the times I run from God… But I love it because it shows me the distance that God will go, and the price He will pay, to bring me back to Him. You remember the story… God asks Jonah to go and tell his enemies that He loves them, and Jonah refuses. He hates the Ninevites!  Jonah not only refuses, but he runs away from God in the opposite direction… gets on a boat… God sends a storm… the sailors decide Jonah is bad luck and throw him overboard… God sends a whale to swallow Jonah… And from inside the belly of that fish a desperate man prays: "In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me." (Jonah 2:2). And so, Jonah's story becomes our story.

Did God ever ask you to do something you did not want to do?

...Maybe to forgive someone you weren't ready to forgive?

...Or to give someone a second chance that you weren't prepared to give?

...Or to go somewhere that you just did not want to go?

...Or to change something in your life that you did not want to change?

...Or to start something, or to stop something, you weren't ready to start or to stop?

And so, instead of doing what you knew God wanted you to do, you pulled "A Jonah"... And you ran! In your heart you said, "No God! I'm not going to do what you want me to do!" And because when we run from God, we run from the source of all wisdom and truth, isn't it true that we ended up making bad choices that ruined relationships, broke hearts and created regret.

All of us have a story when we decided to do exactly what we wanted to do, regardless of how God felt about it.

When our daughter was a young teenager we told her there was a particular boy that she was not allowed to see. She did not take it well. At supper that evening I asked where Sarah was and no one seemed to know. We called all her friends… we looked everywhere for her… no Sarah. Finally, I called the parents of the boy she was not to see and I heard the Mom say, "Sarah, your dad is looking for you." And I could hear my daughter's voice say, "But I'm not looking for him."

Here's the thing: if you are overtly or covertly running from God today, your Heavenly Father is looking for you, even when you're not looking for Him. And He's chasing you down… not to pay you back, but to bring you back… to win you back… because He loves you, and has a better life for you! And the reason I say this with absolute confidence, even without knowing the level of your resistance or rebellion, is because 2000 years ago God the Father sent His Son into the world to pay completely for the price of your sins on a cross so you don't have to be punished for them. It's no longer about paying you back, but winning you back with His love and His grace!

If you've been on the Run from God in some area of your life, and what started out so good has turned out so bad… then why not, right now, stop running, and whisper,

"Jesus, I give up. I surrender. What looked incredible has become a nightmare. I'm done running! Thank you for paying the price on that cross that has brought me back home to your heart." Amen.

Pastor Harry

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