"But Jonah arose 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 from the presence of the LORD." Jonah 1:3 (NKJV)
Afew years ago at our Kikino Family Bible Camp, one of our dogs had been sniffing in a small white garbage bag, and his head got caught in the handle. He took off running for his life, as the bag was following him wherever he went! He was scared and running in all directions. Finally, after I called our dog multiple times, he came so I could rescue him.
This incident has always stuck in my memory for various reasons. Many people run from many things in their lives, and they can run from those things for many years. They can run from painful hurts of the past that are difficult to work through. However, if they seek God's help, He can heal all pains, and the running can stop.
Then there are those people who are running from God because they are unwilling to surrender an area of their lives or unwilling to obey a calling from God for their lives. The psalmist David wondered about where he could run from God-since God was everywhere at the same time.
The prophet Jonah had a specific calling to his enemies, and his unwillingness to obey that call set off a sequence of events that finally brought him to a place of humility and obedience.
Truly, we can never run away from God. Instead of running from Him, let us run to Him like the Prodigal Son (see Luke 15:11-31) running back to his father. What are you running from? When will you stop running? Will you run to the Lord?
Lord, enable me to run to You in all of life's struggles and problems. Amen.
Frank Ward lives in Lac La Biche, Alberta, where Frank pastors the nearby Kikino Bible Church. He loves teaching God's Word and outreach to the surrounding Metis community. Frank is from Loon River Cree First Nation, Alberta. Frank and his wife, Lori, have two teenage children.
From Council Fire, Vol. 1. To enjoy more devotional thoughts from Indigenous writers, get your copies of one, two, or all three volumes of Council Fire. See page 18 to order.
