The illusion of Tarshish: "We cannot escape from the Lord’s pursuit of our lives."
Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.”
God lays His call upon Jonah’s life and reveals His plan for Jonah’s life but God’s plan is not what Jonah has in mind. Jonah immediately goes in the opposite direction trying to escape God’s call upon His life. And what Jonah finds is that he cannot escape God’s call; God pursues Him to the point that even those others around Jonah are pleading for Jonah to submit to God because His unsubmission is effecting their lives in a negative way. Jonah submits by abandoning the ship heading for Tarshish and God makes a way for Jonah to live into his call. Jonah learns that he cannot escape God or God’s call upon his life and that any other attempt at life will only lead to being miserable and causing those around you to be miserable as well.
How often do I head for Tarshish? How often do I head for a land that is beyond God’s reach? How often do I head for land where I can’t hear God’s call upon my life? The trouble is that this land doesn’t exist. Tarshish is an illusion. There is no land beyond God’s reach and there is not any place where God’s voice cannot be heard. In fact, trying to find such a place only sets up my life to make others miserable around me and ultimately going to the belly of a fish for a few days and even there I am within the reach of God. No matter how hard I try, I cannot escape the call of the Lord on my life and it is only in submitting to that call that I stop pursuing a make believe land and begin living the life God designed me to live.
Jesus, I come to you today acknowledging that there are those times in my life that I run to Tarshish as if it is a real place and I can escape you there. Thanks for reminding me today that there is no place I can go where you will not be with me or stop loving me. May your love consume me today and empower me to live out your call upon my life. Give me the grace to remember that this is not about me but about what you desire to do with my life. Thank you for your call and the reminder of it this morning. Amen!
I cannot escape the call and grasp of God.
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