You Can Run, But You Can't Hide

We are a people who naturally run: We run from things deemed too difficult. We run from things deemed “unfair”. We run from the very paths that lead toward life in favor of self-identified “salvation.” The Bible provides numerous examples of those who run: the disciples scattered from Jesus, Adam and Eve hid from God after they consumed the fruit, and Jonah ran from God. It is Jonah’s story that will be explored. It is more than just a bedtime story, it is more than just a trope: It is a story of hatred being met with unconditional love, of mercy chasing faster than bitterness can run. 

Jonah's call happens immediately in the book, and verse 3 reveals the crisis: “But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” Two things can already be gleaned from this verse: You can run from God but you can’t hide, and God pursues with amazing grace. Jonah’s disobedience chose the direction of the book. His decision in verse 3 informed the results of the following chapters. The result of our disobedience reaches beyond the present moment–it extends into the future, and it extends into the lives of others. Disobedience is not isolated, it is collateral. In verse 4 God sent a storm to threaten the ship, and as a result, the sailors questioned further what Jonah had done to warrant this reaction from his God. The storm exposed what running concealed. And they nearly died because of Jonah’s decision. The further from God you run, the further you descend. 

Despite Jonah’s running, despite his unwillingness to obey, God still acted out of mercy. The storm He sent was not divine punishment intended to strong-arm subservience and fabricate reverence–it was sent out of love. God cared about Jonah and God wanted Jonah to be better: so He sent the storm to send a message, “I’m not done with you.” The storms God sends have purpose behind their power; they are an act of mercy, just as it was with Jonah. The storm caused Jonah to halt his escape. Because his escape was halted, the sailors survived. Because Jonah was not allowed to run, Nineveh would experience God’s love through the grace of forgiveness. But the storm was not all God sent: He also sent (appointed) a fish. The fish was not a scare tactic of God, but instead another purposeful instance of His mercy. Even before Jonah repented God sent the fish to swallow Jonah and save him from drowning. God showed His love to Jonah while he was still sinning. 

If you are currently in a storm that you think was sent by God: Stop the ship and turn back to obedience. When you yield to God’s will, you yield to His freedom–it’s not up to you. Look for the fish in the storm. Look for the meaning of it, and for what has been appointed to show His mercy. 

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If you have been in a storm, have you thanked God enough for all that He did?

In every storm remember: running brings ruin.