Running to God When we Feel Like Running Away

Psalm 37:34-40, Nehemiah 12:44-13:14; Romans 7:7-20

My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all day long. Psalm 71:15

Paul wrote: The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Philippians 1:18 (NIV)

O God, we rejoice and celebrate what you have done for us in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Make this day a truly joyful day as we pray and forgive those who may have hurt us. As we feel our own pulse and realize how alive we are, we are glad to give you the glory! Amen.

Do you ever feel like you want to run away, or at the very least, crawl into bed, put covers over your head, and hide from everyone?

In reading through the Psalm 37 passage this morning, I came across these words that are ones that I have to continue to return to time and time again.

The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

The Lord can be our refuge when we feel like running away, but the key is in our running to Him instead of running away. God is a place of safety and the only place we should head.

it's our tendency as humans, I think, to go to God AFTER we've tried everything else. When nothing else is working, then we pray. When all our other options have been exhausted, we turn to him. When nobody else can meet our needs, we finally decide to try God.

Instead He should be our first thought -- and running to Him our first idea. Just like attached children run to a parent the moment they skin a knee or bruise and elbow, we should run to God the moment we feel a need. And unlike any human being, God will NEVER fail to meet our needs and deliver us.

Next time I feel like running away, I gotta remember to run to God.