OWC 2026 Devotional | Week 4, Day 6

GOD, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ME?

Read Jonah 1-4 

Jonah often gets blamed for running from God, but I think there were areas of his life still aligned with the Lord. Scripture doesn’t tell us that he abandoned God’s ways in his lifestyle or spiritual disciplines. In Jonah 1:9, he still identified himself as a follower of the Lord and shared the truth of God as the One true Creator. He wasn’t allowing himself to become a liar because verse 10 says he had told his shipmates that he was running from the Lord. He took responsibility for the chaos his choices had brought into others’ lives by instructing them to throw him into the sea so they would be spared. Jonah was not running from all of God’s ways; he was running from the ways of God he didn’t like. Jonah ran from God’s calling and from God’s concerns. These have also been the two areas I have most often run from the Lord: running from His calling for my life and running from my heart being concerned with the same things His heart is concerned about. In my life, I haven’t often run away from God in all areas, but I have often run away from Him in certain areas. 

Jonah had the honor of being a prophet, which made him a messenger of God, empowered to hear from Him and be His voice. He knew better than to refuse to share some of God’s message. God had been so generous with him, giving him this assignment and equipping him for it. Yet Jonah didn’t seem grateful for how God had blessed him; he seemed annoyed. So why didn’t God just forget about Jonah and move on to someone else who would appreciate and fulfill the calling? Because God does not pursue us for what we will produce. 

He pursues us so that we can experience what He will produce in us: repentance that leads to forgiveness, surrender that leads to peace, and obedience that leads to purpose. 

God is not trying to get something out of us; He’s trying to give so much to us. This is why He doesn’t give up on us when we run, even when we know better, have been blessed by Him, and when it’s just one part of our lives that we won’t surrender. He pursues all of us so we can know the fullness of Him and His blessings.  

We see Jonah run away, and then repent and be restored. We see him given another chance, which he begrudgingly participates in, but then resents God’s goodness for other people. God’s pursuit of Jonah shows us that He doesn’t only use us to show compassion to others, but He pours out His compassion on us, too. Even when we’re running, have a bad attitude, and are going back and forth. God’s pursuit of us does not depend on our faithfulness, but on His. 

• What have you believed about God’s Pursuit of you when you’re running from Him?  

• What is God revealing to you about His Pursuit of you, even when you’re running from Him?