You Can’t Outrun God
“Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But 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. But 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. Then 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. So 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. And 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. Then 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? And 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. Then 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. Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.” (Jonah 1:1-12)
Today’s Morsel: I like the story of Jonah. The story of Jonah is a story that shows us what happens when we don’t do what God tell us to do. Jonah could have just gone and preached to Nineveh the way that the Lord told him to do, and he would not have had to endure the suffering that he went through. But no, he chose to run away instead of obeying. Jonah knew that he couldn’t outrun God, but he thought that if he ran away, he wouldn’t have to do what God was telling him to do. Even today, some folks are trying to outrun God. They think that they can avoid doing what God’s word tells them to do and they will be saved. No, you are not going to be saved. You are going to be led into suffering, pain, and confusion, until you decide to do what God tells you to do. If Israel had done what God told them to do in the first place, they could have just walked right into the promised land, in what some scholars say was only an eleven-day journey out of Egypt. But no, they chose to murmur and complain and not obey, and they found themselves suffering for forty years in the wilderness to make the eleven-day journey. In the end, Jonah goes to Nineveh and does what he should have done in the first place, telling them what he was told to tell them and saves the city. You may be the one that God has chosen to save your city, so stop running, and start telling them. Aren’t their lives important to you?
Sing: I’ll stand for Thee, dear Jesus, whatever the cost may be. Ill spread the gospel to the lost each day; but if it be Thy will, Lord, to send me o’er, the sea, I’ll follow Thee though death should come my way.
Jesus, use me and O Lord don’t refuse me, for surely there’s a work that I can do. And even though it’s humble, Lord help my will to crumble; Though the cost be great I’ll work for You.
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