Jonah 2:6 – “I went down to the base of the mountains.  The earth with its bars closed behind me forever, but You have brought up my life from the pit…”

I listened with my spirit as I prayed, read, pondered, and contemplated what I was reading.  I heard – “You can run, but you can’t hide.”  That will get your attention.  I can run but can’t hide!  Run from what or whom?  I was reading in Jonah, so it was obvious that it was running from God and His purposes.

My immediate question was, “Am I or are we running?”  As I contemplated this and examined my heart, I continued reading and saw some things I had missed.  Jonah was in the belly of a giant fish.  Was that a natural fish or a supernatural being?  In Jonah 2:6, he said, “I went down to the base of the mountains.  The earth with its bars closed behind me forever, but You have brought up my life from the pit…”

I had many unproductive questions, but one was, “How did he know those things?”  He was inside a fish, so how was that possible? There were no windows on the sides of the fish, were there?  Could it be that this being took him to hell or into the divide in Abraham’s bosom that Jesus spoke of?   Those questions will get us off track, so we resist.

Jonah was supernaturally kept alive while running and trying to hide.  When he repented and relented, God brought him back. 

There is a two-fold application to the statement, “You can, but you can’t hide!”  You cannot outrun God!  If you are resisting and rebelling, He will find and catch you.  On the other side of that coin, you cannot outrun or hide from God’s blessings and covenant.  

I think of Deuteronomy and the Psalms.  Psalm 23 – His goodness & mercy relentlessly pursue us All the Days we Live!   We are God’s children, and Jesus totally defeated the devil.  Nothing of our past is on the books any longer.  His blood and mercy cover the past, are in the present and protect from the future.

Where could we go that He is not there?  Rather than rebel and resist bringing judgment and curses, let us repent and obey and receive favor and blessings.    The devil loves to say, “See, same old thing. You blew it.  You can’t do it.”   He is right, but only half right.  We blew it and blow it, and we cannot do it, but we do not have to – He has, He is, He does, and He will Eternally!  Stand still, do not run because you cannot hide. 

God’s plan and desire are blessings. Therefore, He is long-suffering and patient.  Do not test the limits of patience but seek Him fully.  Obedience may seem difficult, but the fruit is glorious.   

Today begins a new journey into discovering His purposes and the blessings of obedience.   Watch out; it is coming, and you cannot stop it.  You can run, but you cannot hide.

May God’s Grace, Power, and Peace Guard and Guide you today!