So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.     1 Corinthians 10:13 HCSB

Many people loosely translate this verse to mean that God will never give us more than we can handle. But if we are honest with ourselves, even us Christians have times where we feel we just want to run away. We have times where we feel that life is just too hard, and we want to get away from it all.

Jonah thought this very thing. God told Jonah to go to Ninevah and preach against them because of their wickedness. Jonah simply did not want to do this. Maybe he felt it was more than he could bear. But for whatever reason, he ran away. He ran to Tarshish and got aboard a ship. Now Jonah 1:3 tells us that Jonah went to Tarshish to flee the Lord’s presence. We serve an omnipresent God, so it’s interesting that poor Jonah thought he could flee God’s presence. In Psalm 139:7-12 David asks where he can go to flee from God’s presence. He then answers that question by concluding that God is everywhere, and he cannot flee his presence, nor would he want to because God holds on to him with His right hand. Running from God didn’t work so well from Jonah unless you consider spending three days in the belly of a large fish a good thing.

Running away is easy right? You just walk away and let it go. Well, sometimes not so much. Sometimes we are in situations where we can’t seem to get a break. We find ourselves in situations where we can’t escape the troubles and the turmoil we face. We can’t walk around it, we can’t step over it, we have to go through it. These are times when we may be praying for God to give us a break. We may be wishing we were sitting on a beach somewhere. But instead, we are stuck dealing with whatever it is that life has thrown our way.

Our Scripture passage begins with a word of warning to be careful when we think we stand lest we fall. Often times we want to run away because we feel that we are standing on our own. It feels as though we are walking alone. But this is not the case. In Psalm 139:10, David acknowledges that God’s hand leads him and holds on to him.

My friend, as Christians, we will face many challenges. We will face many trials and they will come with temptation. But we must stand strong in Christ. We must hold on to Him. We must not run away from Him. If we stand strong in Him and get through whatever it is, He will provide a way of escape. Who knows maybe He will provide us with that beach trip in due time. But you can be assured He will provide us with a way of escape from temptation.

So if you want to run away, just be sure God is guiding your path. Be sure that you are running to God and not away from Him. Trust in Him to lead you along the right path (Psalms 23:3).

There is no Scripture that promises that it will be all rainbows and lollipops when we choose Christ as our Savior. Instead, we are told that we will be persecuted. 2 Timothy 3:12 says all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he tells them in 4:8-9, we are pressured in every way but not crushed, we are perplexed but not in despair, we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are stuck down but not destroyed.

There are times when I just want to run far away. But then I pray, and God gives me the strength to carry on. He reminds me He is right there with me. He reminds me He will walk every step with me and He will guide me in the way that I should go. And I know if I continue to do His will that He will reward me at the proper time (Galatians 6:9).

So, don’t run away, run to God. Trust that He has you where He needs you to be. Know that He will bring you through the these troubled times and He won’t let you down. He’s got you!

Have a great day!