Main Verse: Jonah 1

Good morning,

            The late Country and Western musician Meryl Haggard wrote a song called, “The Running Kind.” The song is about an individual who was never content and would run away when life’s challenges overwhelmed him/her. In the same way Prophet Jonah was tasked with prophesying to the Ninevites about the coming destruction of Ninevah; Having received the message, Jonah packed and ran for his life for reasons unknown. Like Moses, Jonah was given a challenging task which could cost him his life because nobody goes before a King and tells him, “Your kingdom is wicked and the God I serve is determined to destroy you” and lives to tell the story. So, Jonah ran for his life. The funny part about the God we serve is, He does not accept “No” for an answer when He knows we are uniquely qualified for the task as in the case of Moses (Exodus 3-4); if we keep telling God “No” and refuse to be obedient, He will give our blessing to someone else as in the case of Elijah (1 Kings 19:15-18).

            Running away from our troubles is nothing new to humanity. For countless centuries even the strongest men and women of God have away from trouble instead of embracing it (Acts 13:13). Pulpit Propaganda says, “God won’t give you any more than you can manage” which, is an outright lie; however, God does provide help if we are willing to ask for it and seek it out (Matthew 7:7-8, John 16:22-24). Unfortunately, it is easier to react to our fears than it is to trust the Lord who engrafted you into the vine (Romans 11:11-31). My encouragement for you today is no matter what you are facing, the same God who led Israel by the hand from slavery to Canaan, restored broken lives, and/or removed us from the ash heap is the same God who will help you through the trials of your life if you will only keep the faith and remain obedient (Psalm 113:5-9, Isaiah 1:18-20, 2 Timothy 4:6-8).

I.H.S.

MK