YOU CAN’T OUTRUN GOD 

Dani Bucholtz 

Today’s Scripture: “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” Psalm 139:7–8, ESV 

Theme: Even when we run, we can’t hide from God. 

WHEN WE WANT TO HIDE 

There have been times when I knew God was calling me to face something, but I did not want to deal with it. Sometimes it seemed easier to stay busy, avoid the conversation, or pretend everything was fine. Maybe you have felt that way, too. 

For me, running sometimes looks like avoiding a difficult conversation with someone I love, especially when I am fairly certain it will not go well. I may put it off because I do not want to cause hurt feelings or create tension. Yet avoiding it does not result in peace, not even when I am praying and asking God to help me to refocus.  

We may not physically run away, but we still try to hide. We know we are running when we avoid prayer because we already know what God is asking us to do. We know we are running when we ignore conviction because admitting the truth feels uncomfortable. 

But no matter where we run, God is already there. 

NOWHERE IS BEYOND HIS REACH 

David understood that there was no place he could go where God was absent. Heaven was not too high, and even Sheol, meaning the place of the dead, was not beyond God’s reach. 

God said through Jeremiah, “Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:24, ESV). This truth may make us uncomfortable when we are trying to hide. Yet, it also offers us hope. Even when we pull away, God does not abandon us. 

Jonah tried to run from God’s instructions by boarding a ship traveling in the opposite direction. He could not escape God’s presence or purpose. From inside the fish, Jonah prayed, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice” (Jonah 2:2, ESV). God met Jonah in his disobedience, heard his prayer, and gave him another opportunity to obey. 

Make It Personal: Is there something you have been avoiding? Maybe it is a decision, an apology, forgiveness, a habit you need to release, or a difficult conversation. Whatever it is, stop running from God and run to Him. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10, ESV).  

God already knows what is in your heart. Tell Him the truth, ask Him to show you the next step, and trust Him with what happens next. 

Pray: Lord, forgive me for the times I try to hide from You. Help me face the things You are asking of me today. Give me the courage to obey You and trust Your direction, not create my own conflicts or run out ahead of You. Help me to see what You are calling me to do, big or small, and please release me from any contentious task that’s not from You. Amen. 

Read: Psalm 139:1–12 

Weekly Memory Verse: “But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” Jonah 1:3a, ESV