Day 14 (3/4)
Day 14 (3/4): There is No Hiding from God
Scripture Reading: Jonah 2:7-10
Written by Beth Patterson
7 “When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.
8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”
10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
There is no hiding from God. Thank God! Jonah tried his best to turn in the opposite direction of God’s destination for him and sail away to Tarsus. He thought he could hide from God.
When Joe returned from the hospital after his Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis, little Claudia kept a loving eye on him. When it was time to check his blood sugar and give him insulin, we couldn’t find our basket of supplies. I glanced at Claudia, who looked a little suspicious. I asked her gently if she knew where Joe’s supplies were. She replied shakily, “I just thought if I hid his stuff, he wouldn’t have to have any more shots…” I pulled her up in my lap, gave her a hug, and told her how glad we were that Joe had her as his little sister. Joe simply said, “Claudia, while I appreciate your solidarity, I need my insulin to live…” With that, she hopped down, zipped away, and came back with the basket. She looked so relieved. Somehow, she knew that hiding wasn’t the answer. Joe needed his supplies to live!
Jonah learned the same thing. Hiding from God wasn’t the answer. He needed to spend a little time in the belly of a large fish and turn back to God to truly live!