FRIDAY: I WANT TO STOP RUNNING

Sep 16, 2022
2 min read

Lord, help me to stop running from You and start running to You. When I feel far from You, it is because of all the distractions that get in my way of hearing Your voice. Please remove them!

Jeremiah 29:20-23

Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.’ For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name, they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know it and am a witness to it,” declares the Lord.

It's hard for me to hear the word of the Lord in the middle of a crisis. After all, I’m in a crisis, and have a lot of distractions that take my mind away. In the middle of their crisis, the Israelites had distractions in the form of false prophets. False prophets are similar to fake news—they are people who declare they have heard from the Lord when they really haven’t.

The Lord had a special punishment reserved for the false prophets; He delivered them to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to be put to death. Their sin was doing outrageous things: committing adultery and uttering lies in the Lord’s name.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS: Even after the Lord exiled the Israelites, He still cared for them. If I think, in the middle of a trial, that I can’t hear from the Lord, it’s mainly because in my crisis I listen and pay attention to all types of distractions around me. This can include people who tell me to do things I know are wrong just to get through the situation.

While I know it’s hard to hear from the Lord when I’m in a crisis, He wants to hear from me especially in hard times. My other choice is running away, deserting, and simply not listening. My heart aches, and if I’m not careful, I will cast the blame on Him. This pushes me away from Him, when His desire is for me to run into His waiting arms to be loved and cared for.

I want to receive that kind of love from my Heavenly Father. It’s an abundant, overflowing love, and if I’m running away, I will not feel it. When I’m not feeling loved, I will believe the lies that even strangers speak to me. Lord, I’m tired of running. I desire to hear from You! Help me to discern Your still, small voice among the distractions around me.

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman