“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’ But Jonah rose 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, away from the presence of the Lord.
“But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest.” Jonah 1:1-4
“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,’
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:7-12
Jonah did not like God’s word. He fled in the direction opposite of His command to escape responsibility, but the Lover of souls never let him out of sight or mind. He had a work to do and Jonah was the instrument.
God Almighty knows all, sees all, and can do all. No matter our willful rebellion and attempts to hide or run away, He watches. The omniscient Savior mercifully pursues and fulfills His plans for His own. There is no escaping the eye, arms, and grace of God when He sets His affection on us. None can snatch us from His hand and nothing can separate us from His love. (John 10:28-29; Romans 8:35-39)
Most of the time, we think we’re grand, so smart and crafty. We control what we do or don’t want to do. We manage, finagle, order our worlds according to us, doing and going as we well please. But in the roil of self-determination we forget who God is: the ubiquitous Savior of men who knows His sheep by name and whose purposes won’t be thwarted. Our independent nature may be to evade His interference, shake off restraint, forge our own path. But God, intimately acquainted with all our ways, counters every rebel bent with His sovereign will and steady character. We try to run, He pursues relentlessly. We want to ignore conviction, His indwelling Spirit actively abides. We wish our choices would escape His gaze, but His sights are ever on us, His beloved, the apple of His eye. (Deuteronomy 32:10; Job 42:2; Psalm 139:3; John 10:14)
So rather than trying to flee, how can we align our wills with His, and submit anew to His commands? How might we enjoy His presence, and take rightful advantage of His unbroken companionship? He stands to reason and guide. He supplies strength, wisdom, and hope. He repairs what’s broken and redeems what we’ve lost. He shapes our will to obey and fulfills His purposes. Allelujah!(Joel 2:25; James 1:5)
Lord, may I daily receive and heed Your word, to Your glorious ends.
As the rain and snow 