Trying to Escape

Jonah had made plans. He knew what he wanted to do. He certainly wasn’t interested when he learned that God wanted him to travel to Nineveh. This would have meant journeying hundreds of miles to the east. Instead, Jonah went the opposite direction, boarding a ship sailing for Tarshish.

Jonah must have thought he would find fulfillment going his own way. But God knew better. He intervened, sending a great storm with hurricane-force winds. Even the professional sailors aboard felt the ship was breaking apart.

Jonah should have known that God wanted to speak to him. Instead, he continued to escape, falling sleep. Only after he was thrown overboard did “the sea stopped its raging” (v. 15).

All of us should sympathize with Jonah, for we all have our own plans and ideas. We don’t want to do certain things. Running away from God seems easy. We seek to escape and go our own way.

It can be difficult to trust and obey Him unconditionally and easy to resist His will. But God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows that we never will find true peace apart from serving Him. Regardless of our ideas, we need to obey and follow Him.

Remember, God has prepared a great plan for you. Don’t resist Him or run away. Commit your life anew to Him. Seek to obey and follow Him.