When we are running in a natural and physical state, we understand that we can only travel in one direction at a time. We can go left or right, east or west, north or south, but we can not do both. Similarly, when we run this Christian race, we can either run toward God or away from Him. God does not want us to run from Him, but there are at least five instances where the enemy tries to convince us to run because he wants us to feel alone. Each time we feel as if we are all by ourselves, we must ask ourselves whether we are running from God or towards Him.
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When we think of running from God, many of us instantly think of the story of Jonah, who ran from God’s directions to go to Nineveh. Because of Jonah’s actions, he found himself alone in the belly of a big fish. This timeless story was taught to many of us as children to remind us not to be disobedient, but the Jonah story should also remind us that God loves us so much that He relentlessly pursues us even when we run. Like Jonah, when we run from situations, we will inevitably feel alone, which is precisely what the enemy wants.
Even when we feel alone, the truth is God is always right there running towards us, waiting and hoping that we will realize how much He loves us. God longs to have a relationship with us. He is good. He is for us, and He loves us eternally. He is so committed to us that He sent His son to save us and His Spirit to guide us.
The enemy tries to push us to run away, but we mustn’t listen to him. Like a runner, we must pay attention to the direction we travel as we run. We should watch and be mindful of the enemy’s tricks. If we are not conscious of where we are going, we can be distracted and may not even realize that we are running in the wrong direction. God does not want us to run from him and the blessings He has planned for us as His children. We need to learn to see everything from God’s perspective.
God Does Not Want Us to Run Away From Him When We Feel Ashamed
There are times when we find ourselves “in our feelings.” which can happen as we think about the past but is especially true when we fall short or do something we are not proud of. It is easy to pull away from God and others in those moments because we are ashamed. The enemy knows this, so he convicts us and sends condemnation to cause us to respond with shame. His goal is to repeatedly replay what we have done, hoping that it causes us to disconnect from those who love us. The enemy wants us to run and hide from God or deal with our feelings negatively and incorrectly. God does not want us to hide in shame. God wants to cover us and help pick us back up.
The behavior of running and hiding whenever we are ashamed started in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:7-11). When Adam and Eve bit into the fruit, their instinct was to hide. Their act of disobedience caused them to feel naked and exposed. As Christians, this is still our first response, but just as God clothed Adam and Eve, He wants to cover our imperfections if we allow Him.
Another example of hiding in shame occurs when we read the woman’s story at the well in John 4. This woman had a history of five failed relationships. She purposely came to the well to draw water at noon in the day’s heat. Perhaps she wanted to go alone to avoid the feelings of ridicule, the whispers, and the gossip. Jesus met her by the well one day and invited her to ask Him what she needed. She listened to Jesus, believed, and responded, and that same day, Jesus redeemed her sin-wrecked life and her shame. She asked Jesus to give her His living water, and her encounter with Jesus was life-changing for her and many others in her Samaritan town.
God Does Not Want Us To Run Away From Him When Others Mistreat Us
As we live this life surrounded by other imperfect humans, sometimes the actions of others can have a devastating effect on us, and it is easy to find ourselves suffering from the consequences of another person’s actions. We can feel insignificant, helpless, and alone at that moment, but we must rest assured that God sees us even though the enemy tries to convince us otherwise.
Hagar demonstrates a biblical example of the enemy trying to make us run when others mistreat us. God told Abraham that he would have a son, but because his wife, Sarah, could not have children, she gave her Egyptian slave to Abraham to have a son through her, which was not God’s plan. After Hagar was pregnant, there were problems between her and Sarah. While pregnant, Hagar ran from home to avoid the mistreatment she suffered from Sarah.
Hagar ran from a situation that was beyond her control. She was a slave without rights and must have felt alone and scared. The Bible says that the angel of the Lord met Hagar in the wilderness when she ran and told her that He had a plan for her life and that she should return and submit to Sarah (Genesis 16:6-10). The angel told her to name her son Ishmael, which means God hears. The story of Hagar reminds us that we have to trust that God hears us when we pray, even when we feel wronged, like Hagar. God hears and sees each of us, even in hard places. It doesn’t matter if the messes we find ourselves in are our own or someone else’s; God knows, sees, hears, and will rescue us.
God Does Not Want Us To Run From Him When We Do Not Understand
God chose Abraham, Sarah’s husband, to be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5), and He had a miracle awaiting Sarah to be the mother of many people. Although Sarah could understand Abraham’s calling, past years of infertility caused her to devise a plan that was not God’s. Sarah’s insecurities and lack of ability to have children in the past caused her not even to consider the possibility of a miracle. She mistakenly tried to figure out everything independently and decided to create a child through Hagar, her slave.
Like Sarah, when we do not know or understand God’s plan, the enemy encourages us to create something on our own using our wisdom rather than consulting with God. Additionally, if we wrestle with insecurity, it may be easy to see how God could bless others, but we may question whether God will perform a miracle for us. The enemy wants us to doubt and forget that our God is a miracle worker. We won’t always know how He will solve situations, but we must trust that God does and He will.
God Does Not Want Us To Run Away From Him By Running Ahead of His Timing
We must remember that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He loves to watch us run away from our place of blessings and protection. The enemy wants us to believe we can do life just fine without God because he knows we can not defeat him in our strength. He will surely try if the enemy can convince us to go it alone.
Think about the prodigal son. In this Bible story, a father had two sons. One day, the younger son decided not to wait until his father passed away to gain his inheritance, but he wanted his portion early. He wanted his share now. The father granted his son’s request, and ultimately, the younger son wasted the inheritance and found himself destitute, impoverished, and repentant.
As we examine this story, we can relate to wanting things when we want them. Waiting is not something anyone enjoys doing. Even the most patient people choose to wait because they believe in and trust God’s timing. No matter what, we can not run ahead of God’s timing and try to figure everything out in our strength and mind.
God Wants Us To Run Toward His Blessings
We must be mindful of our need to connect with God. Just as God had blessings, protection, and provisions awaiting Hagar, Sarah, and the prodigal son, He will provide blessings for each of us if we are willing to run towards him and trust Him. Unfortunately, there are times when life gets busy, and we can not hear God’s whispers. Sadly, when our backs are against the wall, sometimes, we finally look toward heaven.
During quiet prayer times with God, we can stop the busyness of life and reflect on God’s plan for our lives. If invited, He will come in and give our life a reset. If we allow Him, God will direct our path, but we must find a way to stop hiding from Him, stop running ahead of Him, and start running toward Him. Whether we have sinned or been sinned against, the best way out of loneliness is by inviting God in. We will never be alone if God is there with us.
A Prayer To Help Us Run Towards God
We can see from the scriptures that the way through alone times and feelings of loneliness is always prayer, but the enemy wants us to choose his alternate route, leading to shame and self-destruction. Let’s remember that even Jesus had to get away and pray. As we bow our heads in prayer, let’s ask God to help direct our steps, knowing that He hears and sees each of us right now.
