Many people are fleeing, perhaps without even being aware of it. And yet it is a flight which can never end well, if one does not stop fleeing, but turns back – back to God!
Thousands and millions of people were and are on the run! Many of us have had that experience and therefore know what it means to be on the run: on the run from persecutors, from approaching war catastrophes, from threatening floods, from earthquakes, and from other dangers!
Having to flee always involves danger. Fear, distress, uncertainty, and confusion tend to accompany this kind of flight. Temptation and death lurk on all sides. One never willingly embarks on such a flight. What a relief it is when this flight has been successful and one reaches safety!
Proverbs 28:1 speaks of a flight that is equally dangerous, yet seemingly never ends: “The wicked flee when no one pursues.” How strange! This is a flight from God, a flight that many people have been on and are still on today! This flight goes back to the Fall, which Adam and Eve were guilty of. Right after they had transgressed God’s commandment, they came under the spell of sin. Communion with God was broken, their conscience condemned them, inner fear rose up, and we read, “Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8). Man became “God-less,” detached from God. Sin separates from God and makes us guilty. In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes that sin has spread to all men and through them also death and separation “because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
Since then, man has dealt with the most diverse ways to flee from God. To soothe their guilt-ridden consciences, some say, “God is dead!” Others refer to a “loving God.” Still others console themselves with the theory that the astronauts searched all of space and found no God. But why are there still so many arguments against God? Why is there still a continued fight against God and His Word? Why are new escape routes still being invented? Why do people seek to get rid of and become free from a God, who, in their own opinion, does not exist at all? Yes, why do so many flee when no one is chasing them? Just the incessant battle, the constant escape, the arguments against God prove that He exists! And it is also an indisputable fact that nobody has yet found rest and safety in their flight from God.
The flight from God continues to be a futile undertaking. Man flees and does not know where to! Just as one cannot escape the rays of the sun, neither can one escape the omnipresent God. David confirms this in Psalm 139:7-12: “Where can I go from your Spirit, or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.”
Fleeing from God is an exercise in futility. The detachment from God has driven many people into error, heartache, distress, fear, into unsustainability, guilt and vice, into sin and unrest. In any case, this path does not lead to inner peace and security. It is therefore foolish to flee from a God who has thoughts of peace for us and who loves us.
God has made a way for peace through Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 28:16, we read, “Whoever believes will not act hastily!” And the Lord Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). He can lead the whole world out of its error and misery – including you!
As Savior and Redeemer of the world, He has made it possible for all people to experience salvation, redemption, and inner healing. Therefore, your flight can come to an end. You should be able to breathe again and be free. Recognize your destructive path, and give up your futile escape.
Confess your sin, experience forgiveness, and be placed on the path of light, redemption, freedom, and life!
Dear soul, there is only one “flight” God’s Word urges everyone to take, and that is to take refuge in God! This is also your only way out, and on this path, Christ wants to meet you as the King of Peace.
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