When We Run from what we know we should do
Have you ever felt like your life was unraveling and you knew, deep down, why?
Everything looked manageable on the surface, but underneath it all was a quiet, nagging truth you didn’t want to face?
The relationship you keep avoiding.
The conversation you keep postponing.
The sin you keep justifying.
The calling you keep dismissing.
You tell yourself it’s fine. You’re managing. You’ve got it under control.
Until the storm hits.
Maybe the storm in your life right now isn’t random. It might not be bad luck or just a difficult season. What if it’s God’s way of getting your attention because the gentle whisper didn’t work?
I want to help you think about what happens when you run from God—and why the storm might be the greatest mercy He could give you.
The Man Who Ran 1,500 Miles in the Wrong Direction
There’s a story in Scripture about a man named Jonah who decided to run from God. His story is uncomfortably relevant.
Jonah was a real historical prophet—not a fictional character. Jesus referred to him multiple times. He’s mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25 and lived around 760 BC.
Here’s what happened:
“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord” (Jonah 1:1-3).
God said to go 500 miles northeast to Nineveh.
Jonah bought a ticket and went 1,500 miles west to Tarshish.
He travelled as far in the opposite direction as he could possibly go.
This wasn’t a slight detour. It was full-on rebellion.
Why We Run
Why does Jonah run in the opposite direction of God’s call?
We don’t have to speculate, because Jonah tells us exactly why later in the story:
“Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:2).
Jonah was afraid God would forgive them. Forgive his enemies. Show mercy to people Jonah thought didn’t deserve it.
Jonah ran because he didn’t want God’s grace to extend to people he didn’t like.
That one decision nearly cost him everything.
Here’s the uncomfortable question for us: Why do we run?
Running rarely feels rebellious in the moment. It feels reasonable. It feels justified. It feels like self-protection. We convince ourselves we’re being wise, careful, realistic.
Sometimes we run because we’re afraid of what obedience will cost us.
Sometimes we run because we don’t trust God’s plan.
Sometimes we run because we want something else more than we want Him.
And sometimes, like Jonah, we run because we disagree with God’s heart for people we think don’t deserve His grace.
God is Willing to Send a Storm
Here’s where the story gets intense:
“Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep” (Jonah 1:4-5).
The sailors were terrified. They didn’t even know the God of Israel, but they started praying to whatever gods they knew.
And Jonah? He was asleep below deck. Completely checked out.
Running from God will do that to you—you become numb, disconnected, spiritually exhausted.
The captain had to wake him up: “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”
Eventually, they cast lots to figure out who was responsible for the calamity. The lot fell on Jonah. And when they questioned him, he confessed: “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
This terrified them. They asked, “What have you done?”
Jonah told them the truth: “Pick me up and throw me into the sea, and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
Running from God always comes with a price.
We pay with our peace, our joy, our relationships, our health, and our purpose. And our decisions impact everyone around us.
The Storms in Our Lives
Most of us, at one time or another, run from God. God pulls on our hearts and we ignore it. We refuse to do what God has told us to do.
Maybe it’s the affair you haven’t ended. Or the apology you haven’t made. Or the career change you know you need to make but keep postponing. Or the forgiveness you’re withholding. Or the boundary you need to set but won’t.
Perhaps God has been whispering to you about it. Gently convicting you. Giving you opportunities to turn around. But you kept running. And now there’s a storm.
C.S. Lewis wrote: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
God loves you too much to let you keep running. And if He can’t get your attention through a gentle whisper, He will send a storm.
God is not looking for ways to hurt you. But He will disrupt your comfort before He allows you to destroy yourself.
Is God willing to put you through a storm? Yes. Not because He enjoys your pain, but because He loves you too much to watch you run toward your own destruction.
Often, the storm is God’s mercy in our lives—His way of bringing us back home before we wreck everything that matters.
Taking Inventory
What storms are you facing right now? Strained relationships? Financial pressure? Health issues? Anxiety that won’t go away? A sense of unrest you can’t shake?
Ask God: Is this storm here to get my attention? God, are You trying to tell me something? Is there something I’m running from that You’re trying to bring me back to?
Pray about it. Confess what you need to confess. Change direction.
Because here’s what happened with Jonah: The storm grew stronger and stronger... until Jonah stopped running. And you don’t want that to happen to you.
What Surrender Looks Like
You may be fighting a storm God sent to wake you up. You’re exhausted from trying so hard to do it your way. You know exactly what needs to change.
Surrender is the only way forward.
Surrender doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re finally honest, you stop pretending you can handle this on your own, you stop running and turn around.
For you, surrender might mean: Deleting the number. Making the phone call. Apologizing first. Turning down the opportunity. Setting the boundary. Signing up for counseling. Confessing to your spouse. Quitting the job. Taking the job. Forgiving the person.
It means you say: “God, I’ve been running from You. I’m done. I want Your will above my own, even when it’s hard. I am letting go.”
That’s all God is asking for. Not perfection. Not a flawless plan for how you’ll never mess up again. Just surrender.
Stop running. Turn around. Come home.
Take Action
This week, do this one thing:
Identify what you’re running from and surrender it to God.
Be specific. Don’t just say “I need to be better.” Name the thing. The sin. The calling. The conversation. The forgiveness. The obedience.
Then, in prayer, surrender it. Say out loud: “God, I’ve been running from You about this. I’m done running. I surrender this to You. I want Your will above my own. I let go.”
Tell one trusted person what you’re surrendering and ask them to pray for you and check in with you about it.
That’s it. Not a long-term plan. Not a complicated strategy. Just honest surrender.
All for Jesus,
Brad D. Jenkins
P.S. — If this has been helpful, please send me a message at brad@bradjenkins.me and let me know. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you. To read previous newsletters or to sign up so that you don’t miss future posts, visit www.bradjenkins.me/blog.
Watch the message “The Storm” by Brad D. Jenkins at Anthem Church. YouTube