Keep Moving

One of my favorite stories in Scripture is Jonah. It’s full of irony, humor, resistance—and grace. It shows how often we run from God, and how faithfully He pursues His redemptive plan anyway.

The story opens simply:

“The word of the LORD came to Jonah… ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it.’ But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish.” – Jonah 1:1–3

Jonah was a prophet—rare, bold, often controversial. His role was to hear God and speak hard truth. Then came the assignment that changed everything: Go to Nineveh.
Nineveh was powerful, violent, and oppressive. Think dominant superpower using its strength for cruelty. Another prophet described it as a “city of blood.” And God tells Jonah not just to preach to it—but against it.

Geographically, Nineveh was east. Jonah went west.
When God said go, Jonah ran.
Why do we do that?

When conscience says apologize, we justify.
When Scripture says serve, we delay.
When the Spirit nudges, we drift.

But here’s the surprising hope in Jonah’s story: He moved.
He ran in the wrong direction—but he didn’t stay frozen. He didn’t pretend he hadn’t heard. He got up.

Once Jonah was moving, God could redirect him. A storm. A fish. A prayer. A second call. Eventually, obedience. “And the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time…”
That might be the most beautiful line in the book.

None of Nineveh’s redemption would have happened if Jonah had stayed on the dock.
We live in a culture of spiritual paralysis. Many hear God’s challenge and respond with polite inaction. But imperfect movement is better than passive resistance.

God can redirect someone who is moving.
He does not steer someone who refuses to leave the harbor.

So what is God nudging you toward?
A hard conversation?
A step of reconciliation?
A move toward generosity or service?
You don’t have to get it perfect. You just have to move.

Keep moving.