Daily Devotional December 1, 2009

Daily Bible Reading - Esther 9, Jonah 1, Hebrews 6-7

You can run but you can't hide

Have you ever played hide and seek with a child? Our girls love to play this game. I'll close my eyes and start the counting while the girls start running frantically around the house searching for the perfect hiding place. What they fail to realize is that they can run but they can't hide from mom. After all, moms do have eyes in the back of their head. Alright, so I don't really have eyes in the back of my head, I do however know my girls oh so well. I can hear their every step and whisper as they run around. I also know exactly which spot to look for each of them, seeing as they hide in the same couple spots every time. I can be sure to find my youngest in the closet on top of the washing machine. Then my big girl can be found hiding in the shower behind the curtain.

In our bible reading today we see Jonah attempting to hide from God. Jonah is not just any ordinary guy, he is a prophet of God. He is someone that God speaks to on a regular basis, someone known as a servant of the Lord. Yet after the Lord asked Him to go to Nineveh, Jonah went the other direction. He did not like what the Lord asked Him to do so he decided to do his own thing.

As I write this I realize just how many times I have reacted just like Jonah. How about you? Have you ever read something in the Bible that you had difficulty doing? Like what we read in Matthew 5:44 "but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." I am sure we could all throw out some other scriptures as well. I will never forget the time I was at the grocery store. I was wearing the new jacket I had just gotten. As I was checking out the girl bagging my groceries said "I love your jacket". Right after she said that I felt the Lord tell me to give her my jacket. I of course came up with many reasons in my mind why I wasn't going to do that. As I drove away from the store I knew I was running from what the Lord asked me to do. It drove me crazy for another two weeks until I decided to go back to the store with the jacket in hand to give to the girl. Unfortunately I never saw her again and I could never wear the jacket again, it just didn't feel right.

Jonah found out that he could run from the Lord but he could not hide from Him. The Lord knew exactly where he was and what he was doing. The Bible says in Psalm 139:1-3 "O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways". As we continue to read the chapter we see verses 7-8 "Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!"

Just like Jonah you and I cannot run from the Lord. We cannot run from the purpose of God on our lives. He has called us and will continue to pursue us because He knows what is best for our lives. As we continue our Bible reading tomorrow we will see how things play out for Jonah. How will things play out for you today? Will you surrender to the Lord and His ways or will you continue to run and hide?

Tomorrow's Bible Reading - Job 1-2, Jonah 2-3, Hebrews 8-9

Dream Big,
Katie