God does all these things to a person—twice, even three times—to turn them back from the pit, that the light of life may shine on them. (Job 33:29-30)
In the midst of his ignorant comments to Job, Elihu did happen upon a few profound truths. One of those truths is the idea that God doesn’t merely allow us to run away from Him. There is a sense in which God pursues us even when we try to evade Him. Whether it’s a conversation with a stranger or a phone call from a close friend, God has a way of chasing us so that we might return to Him. He wants us to turn back from the pit so that He may shine His light of life on us.
Francis Thompson wrote a famous poem, The Hound of Heaven, wherein Thompson described his heavenly Father’s pursuit of him even though he tried to pursue his own pleasures.
If God has you in His sight, you can try with all of your might, but you will never get away from Him.
The best thing to do is to surrender. You can run, but you can’t run forever.
Father, help me never to run from You. Let me remember that Your ways are the best ways and that the greatest life I can ever live is one in surrender to You.
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