Disobedient God: Trusting a God Who Goes Off ScriptНамуна

Jonah 1 begins with a phrase many of us have overlooked:

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah…”

Jonah heard from God.

This is no small thing! And yet, Jonah’s response to this amazing gift is not what you would think someone would do - he ran. He ran because, like each of us, he had worked out exactly what the script was and what God should do - and what he heard didn’t line up with that script.

His response to a Disobedient God was to run.

And though he ran toward a real, physical location, he was seeking a place that does not actually exist. You can’t outrun God or go to a place where He isn’t already present.

It may not be a physical location, but where are you running to? What vices do you seek out, thinking you are running away from an omnipresent God?

It costs us to run from God. Even Jonah paid his fare for passage to where he thought God might not be. Not to mention the journey ahead of him. It wasn’t a free ride for him, and I can assure you, it will not be for you either. When you hear from God, see Him working, and still decide to live according to your own will, it’s going to cost you more than you think.

So, again, I ask you: Where are you running from the presence, power, and plans of God for your life, and are you willing to pay the fare?

Now, thankfully, God didn’t leave Jonah there, and He won’t leave us either.

Instead of paying the price of running, we can receive the gift of confession. It’s an old practice that can help us in a new way.

Let’s remember, there isn’t a place you can run where God doesn’t exist. He knows your brokenness, your insecurities, and your sin. He knows where you are and where you’ve been, so there’s no use in trying to hide it from Him. Confession isn’t letting God know something He doesn’t already know. He doesn’t need the answer for “Where are you?” - you do.

Your “where” doesn’t necessarily mean a physical location. Your “where” can be running to addiction. Your “where” can be hiding your questions or your doubt.

Read Mark 9:23-25.

The father in this story saw a miracle right before his eyes - on his afflicted son, no less! Yet, when Jesus asks him, “Do you believe?” he’s honest with where he is at.

“Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!”

Can we all aim for this level of honesty with God? Can we practice admitting that we are never in a perfect spot?

Because He knows.

God knows.

He knew long ago that you would have hard days, hard weeks, hard years. He knew you would have days with only a little belief, and that you’d have days with no belief at all.

And He has grace waiting for you in each and every one of them.

The word “confess” translates to “the idea to say what He says.” So, confession is the very idea to say of myself what God says of me. As I tell the truth about where I am, I begin to speak God’s words about who I am.

Take a moment to reflect: what if, the next time you are met with doubt, fear, or frustration you change your response from running to a place or thing, and confess where you are to God? What if you trusted, right in that moment, that He knows you, He sees you, and is present with you, wherever you find yourself?