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The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Jonah 1:1–3

We live in a world that is constantly on the go. We run from one place to the next and are so used to doing so that life often becomes a blur. When we finally have a moment to catch our breath, we tend to look for another way to keep running. This is a normative Western posture in the twenty-first century, and we all participate in this lifestyle because we think it is gratifying.

So as we run from God, are we really just trying to cover up the true state of our hearts? The reality is that if we slow down, we are going to hear from God. And in hearing from God, we fear that God is going to ask us to do something that may require our utmost obedience. Are we afraid that if we slow down, God is finally going to be able to speak to us? Is this mask of busyness something that we cling to so that we don’t have to deal with our hearts before God? Because if we stopped running all over the place and slowed down, God would get our attention, convict us of our sin, and perhaps even call us to something too difficult for our handling. Brothers and sisters, the joy is that no matter what God is trying to tell us, He will get us through with His grace, love, and mercy. We are not alone in this. God is completely in control and in His grace, He is calling us to stop running and start listening.

This reality hit home for Jonah. A messenger of God in the Old Testament, Jonah, was given a direct order from God so that His truth could be proclaimed boldly (Jonah 1:1–2). But Jonah decided that he knew better. Jonah paid a fare, and sailed in the complete opposite direction of where God was asking Him to go. Jonah fled from the Lord because he feared what God was asking him to do (Jonah 1:3). God wanted to use Jonah in Nineveh—a broken and desperate place—so that he could preach against the city. But Jonah, in his selfishness and fear, ran away from God.

In the midst of our running from God, Jesus Christ remains on the throne. His bloodshed has already occurred on our behalf. In our failure to stop running, God, in His grace and mercy, bestows His forgiveness to us in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ covers our disobedient pursuit of God and His will for our lives.

Call to Action

Are you running from God? Are you afraid that God is going to ask you to do something that you may not be comfortable with? Are you living in fear? Do you know what God is asking of you, therefore you have decided to flee from Him? Often times, we run from God because we’re afraid of what He may ask us to do. If that’s you, I want to encourage you to pause. Take a moment to ask God for forgiveness for the fact that you continue to run from Him when He is asking you to slow down and incline your ear to Him. Ask God to speak to you so that you may understand what it is that He desires from you.

Reflections on Jonah 1:1–3

“In the midst of our running from God, Jesus Christ remains on the throne.”