Jonah perhaps serves as the greatest example to be found of one who tried to "run from God."
You recall God had a message for Jonah to deliver to the people of Nineveh, "Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me." (Jonah 1:1,2).
Instead of doing what God wanted, Jonah chose to ignore God.
His trip to run away did not work out like he had planned; instead he got to see what a "big fish" looks like from the inside out.
It took something terrible happening for him to realize he could not ignore God. "Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice… the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God…When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple…But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD" (Jonah 2:1-10).
Some today act just like Jonah. It is popular in some circles not to even believe in God. David wrote, "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God (Psalm 14:1).
They reject the evidence they see each day and choose to believe a theory of how man evolved from an ape. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1).
Others try to run from God by refusing to obey His word. God’s word has been given to man that we might come to understand God’s love and God’s terms for forgiveness. James wrote, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22).
Those who refuse to listen and obey God now will find one day that God will not listen to them. "Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts." (Zech. 7:13).God’s word cannot be ignored. Each person one day will give an accounting. On that day it will be too late to change what we have done. Our destiny in eternity is set by what we do here and now. Jonah realized his mistake and was given opportunity to change. Why not take the time to study God’s word, believe it and obey it. God has blessed you with the opportunity to follow Him. You may ignore Him today if that is your desire, but one day you will plainly see, "you cannot run from God".