Jonah 1:3 - But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish...
No one needs to teach a child how to run away from dangers. The child learns it so instinctively as he/she grows. We all have faced tough situations in lives where there were no options but to run away. You remember when you ran away as a small child to a safer place, when a mad bull suddenly ran into your playground. You remember when you ran away as a child behind the door curtains of your house, when you saw a Policeman walk along the road with his lathi. There are so many ocassions that we can number out. We all at some point of time in our life have indeed ran away from dangers.
And so did Jonah.
Jonah ran away, but there was a difference. Jonah ran away from GOD!!
And what happened next was a complete disaster in Jonah's life. He ran away from God and boarded a ship to Tarshish, met with a storm, faced an angry crowd of travellers who threw him out in the ocean and then the odyssey didn't end - He ended up in a Big Whale's stomach. What a journey!! And all of this because he ran away from God.
Now I got this forward from my Pastor Uncle, and I thought I would blog it down here under this topic, as it has such a beautiful message imbibed in it. Here it comes :
There were thousands of fish in the sea. One day some of the fish got talking to each other. One of them asked an aged fish. "Sister, how is it that every time the fisherman comes and spreads his net, hundreds of our sisters and brothers get caught and are taken away. How do you manage to escape, always? The wise old fish said, "The moment I see the fisherman coming, I rush towards him. Before he throws his net into the sea, I hide near his feet. I sit there till his net is full and he goes away. How simple it sounds!! But how many of us seek refuge from God, during times of trouble. We run helter-skelter in search of help. If only we were wise and took refuge at the feet of the Lord, the problems would themselves stay away from us.
Isn't it so wonderful? Jonah could have easily avoided his 3 days and 3 night stay inside the Big Whale's tummy, if he had received this message. But he ran away from Nineveh and opted for Tarshish. He didn't knew that he was actually running away from God. And running away from God is running into problems. If we come near God, then God comes near us. And no one else other than James wrote it better :
James 4: 8 - Come near to God and he will come near to you.
No one needs to teach a child how to run away from dangers. The child learns it so instinctively as he/she grows. We all have faced tough situations in lives where there were no options but to run away. You remember when you ran away as a small child to a safer place, when a mad bull suddenly ran into your playground. You remember when you ran away as a child behind the door curtains of your house, when you saw a Policeman walk along the road with his lathi. There are so many ocassions that we can number out. We all at some point of time in our life have indeed ran away from dangers.
And so did Jonah.
Jonah ran away, but there was a difference. Jonah ran away from GOD!!
And what happened next was a complete disaster in Jonah's life. He ran away from God and boarded a ship to Tarshish, met with a storm, faced an angry crowd of travellers who threw him out in the ocean and then the odyssey didn't end - He ended up in a Big Whale's stomach. What a journey!! And all of this because he ran away from God.
Now I got this forward from my Pastor Uncle, and I thought I would blog it down here under this topic, as it has such a beautiful message imbibed in it. Here it comes :
There were thousands of fish in the sea. One day some of the fish got talking to each other. One of them asked an aged fish. "Sister, how is it that every time the fisherman comes and spreads his net, hundreds of our sisters and brothers get caught and are taken away. How do you manage to escape, always? The wise old fish said, "The moment I see the fisherman coming, I rush towards him. Before he throws his net into the sea, I hide near his feet. I sit there till his net is full and he goes away. How simple it sounds!! But how many of us seek refuge from God, during times of trouble. We run helter-skelter in search of help. If only we were wise and took refuge at the feet of the Lord, the problems would themselves stay away from us.
Isn't it so wonderful? Jonah could have easily avoided his 3 days and 3 night stay inside the Big Whale's tummy, if he had received this message. But he ran away from Nineveh and opted for Tarshish. He didn't knew that he was actually running away from God. And running away from God is running into problems. If we come near God, then God comes near us. And no one else other than James wrote it better :
James 4: 8 - Come near to God and he will come near to you.
And when God comes near to you, always be sure that the problems will stay away.
God bless you!
God bless you!
1 comment:
Yes Indeed Chetta.. Running away from God is the most grave mistake that most of us commit at some or the other time in our lives. It is best to seek refuge under His wings instead of running, cuz life might be tough walking in His will, but our comfort for the rest of eternity is sealed by simply being in His will.
God bless you.
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