'Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish.'

Jnh 1:3 NKJV

Ninevah was about 550 miles east of Jonah. Tarshish was 2500 miles west of him. Rather than go 550 miles in God's will, Jonah decided to go 2500 miles out of it. Ever do that? God says, 'Go here,' but you go there. The bad news is, you not only have to come back the 2500 miles you went in the wrong direction, but the 550 miles God told you to go in the first place. Furthermore, whenever you run from God, you get to pay the fare. 'He... found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare' (v.3 NKJV). The good thing about going to Ninevah is, God will provide the fare. The bad thing about going to Tarshish is, you get to pick up the tab. Many of us are paying a high price for our Tarshish trip, when, if we had done it God's way, He'd have picked up the tab. And notice something else: when you disobey God you not only mess yourself up, but also those around you. Those poor sailors on the ship didn't ask for Jonah's mess, but they got it. Are you messing up the lives of others because of your rebellion? Think about it; if the wind, the sea and the whale had to obey God, what were Jonah's chances of escaping? Jonah didn't rebound until he got swallowed, and some of us are not going to do the right thing until we are swallowed too - until God permits circumstances so adverse that running to Him, instead of from Him, is the only thing left. Is God saying something to you today?