He knows that the longer you run, the worse life will get for you. And he wants to get your attention before it’s too late.

Even though God is patient, he won’t let you ignore his call forever. God loves you just the way you are, but he loves you far too much to let you stay that way.

One day he’s going to get your attention.

The prophet Jonah found this out the hard way as he was running from God: “The storm was getting worse all the time” (Jonah 1:11 GNT). The more Jonah ran, the worse the storm got. Jonah’s running had consequences.

It’s the same way for you. When you run from God, eventually you’ll find yourself surrounded by storms.

Sometimes those are the storms of God’s correction. But when God corrects you, it’s not negative. It’s because he loves you!

Loving parents discipline their children because they love them and want to see them change their behavior for their own good. God is the same way. The Bible says: “Happy is the person whom God corrects! Do not resent it when he rebukes you” (Job 5:17 GNT).

As the storm got more intense, Jonah’s shipmates asked a question many people ask when troubles build: “What should we do . . . to stop the storm?” (Jonah 1:11 GNT)

The answer is always the same. You must completely surrender your life to God. When you surrender, peace comes.

Jonah did this. He responded, “Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm” (Jonah 1:12 GNT).

It was Jonah’s first unselfish act—and his first step toward a fresh start. He admitted he was the cause of the storm, and he surrendered to God’s will.

If you’ve been running from God’s plan for your life and now you’re facing a storm, surrender to God. You can do this with confidence because God is for you, and he’s calling you back to him.