,but God

Julie’s Story - The End of the Chase “David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.” 1 Samuel 23:14 When you're playing hide and seek, you look for the best hiding spot, so you won’t be found. And when it’s time to run to the base, you scan the path ahead, hoping it’s clear. Sometimes however, the seeker comes from behind and catches you before you ever see them coming. Julie had been playing a real-life version of hide and seek—with the police. She knew there were at least three active warrants out for her arrest. Since the age of 12, drugs, mainly methadone (commonly known as “meth”), had consumed her life. Her father was addicted, and eventually, home was no longer safe. She ran away, and soon, her world became one of buying, selling, and using drugs. At one court hearing, she was told she had been in and out of jail twenty-one times. Even that extraordinary discovery didn’t stop her. Then came the night everything changed. Julie walked out of a motel after a drug deal, heading for her car, when suddenly black SUVs swarmed the lot. A helicopter hovered overhead. She jumped in her car, desperate to escape, but it was too late. Surrounded by officers, she was pulled from her car through the window. One of them looked at her and said, “We’ve got you now.” And in that moment, Julie thought, It’s finally over - I can stop running. She was unaware when or where she would inevitably be caught, but God knew it was time for her to stop running from the police...and start running toward Him.