Nowhere to Run To

“The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations… God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it” (2 Peter 2:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

When Peter and Paul wrote these words, they weren’t only talking about personal temptations, but the tribulations that had already started coming up against the Church. (In fact, shortly thereafter, both Peter and Paul were violently martyred.) In writing these words, it was their intent for these ‘new’ believers to know they could trust God in their crises—He would provide a way of escape.

Last week in Joplin, Missouri, when the terrible tornado came, people were unprepared—they had nowhere to run to for safety. It reminds me of Daniel’s words about how people will react in the end times: “many shall run to and fro…"(12:2-4). What does ‘to and fro” mean? Could it mean people who run around in a frenzied manner, “like a chicken with its head cut off?” Could it describe fearful persons who don’t know that God is the only way of escape? “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).