Running from God
Today's focusGod calls Jonah to Nineveh, but he flees the other way; a storm comes, and pagan sailors pray while the prophet sleeps.
Read
1Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 4But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. 5Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. 6So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. 7And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 8Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? 9And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. 10Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
Reflection
When "the word of the LORD" came to Jonah, it brought a clear command: "Arise, go to Nineveh." Instead of obeying, Jonah "rose up to flee" in the opposite direction. You may know the heavy feeling of trying to distance yourself "from the presence of the LORD." Like Jonah, you might find a ship and pay the fare, seeking any path that leads away from a difficult calling. Yet, the passage shows that even when we go "down into the sides of the ship" to sleep and forget, God does not lose sight of us.
The storm that followed was so "mighty" that the ship was "like to be broken." It is striking that while the sailors "cried every man unto his god," the one who knew the true "God of heaven" remained silent and asleep. Sometimes, those around you may recognize the seriousness of a situation before you do. Even when you try to hide your identity, God has a way of bringing the truth to light. Jonah eventually admitted he served the God who "made the sea and the dry land," reminding us that there is no place far enough to truly escape His reach.
AI-written reflection on the passage above. Let Scripture itself be the main thing.
Reflect
Is there anything God has asked of you that you have been avoiding or running from?
Pray
Lord, you know the places where I have run from you. Thank you that you pursue me even when I flee. Give me a willing heart to go where you send me.