Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence. —Jonah 1:3
The rebellious prophet Jonah ran as hard as he could away from God. He wanted nothing to do with God’s plan for his life. But God pursued him.
The Lord threw a great wind onto the sea, and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart. (Jonah 1:4)
God chastised Jonah by having a giant fish swallow the prophet and leaving him there for three days and nights. Then God drew Jonah back. “As my life was fading away,” Jonah prayed from the belly of the fish, “I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, to your holy temple” (2:7).
If you have a loved one who is running away from the Lord, God knows exactly where that person is. He has the power to engineer circumstances large and small to pursue that person and draw him or her to Himself. Sometimes God’s goodness leads men to repentance (Rom. 2:4), and sometimes His judgment breaks their stony wills. We can trust God to know which is most effective.
Make it Personal
Pray for someone you know who is rebelling against God and entrust Him to do what is necessary in that person’s life.