Jonah ran away from the Lord.
—Jonah 1:3
God ordered Jonah to be his missionary to Nineveh.
Jonah didn’t want the assignment, for Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, Israel’s despised enemy. So Jonah hightailed it in the opposite direction—went to Joppa, found a ship sailing for Tarshish, bought a ticket, and hurried on board.
Do you identify with Jonah? The assignment you’ve been given stinks: a call to love someone you don’t like, submit to someone you can’t stand, help someone you don’t think deserves it.
So you avoid the assignment and hotfoot it to Tarshish, distancing yourself from God.
Jonah became fish food.
Running away from God always ends badly.
When God says go, don’t say no.