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Against Our WillOctober 7, 2008
Jonah 1:1-3a The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed to Tarshish. The book of Jonah in the Old Testament is a story about a reluctant prophet of God. God called Jonah to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it. His task was to get the people of Nineveh to repent and turn toward God. Jonah was happy to serve God, but not in the capacity that God wanted him too. Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh. He had heard about the city and knew it wasn’t a place he desired to visit. Jonah decided to take matters into his own hands and hoped on a ship going in the other direction, as far away from Nineveh as possible. Jonah soon discovered that one can’t run away from God. During a storm at sea, Jonah found himself thrown overboard by members of the ship’s crew. Whereupon he was swallowed by a giant fish and spent three days and nights inside it. While in the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed to God for deliverance. God heard his cry and Jonah was spit out of the fish onto dry land. Now that Jonah is out of the fish, God calls him a second time to go on the same mission to Nineveh. This time Jonah obeys and the people of Nineveh repent and turn toward God. Jonah believed that the people of Nineveh deserve God’s wrath and destruction; he is disappointed when he discovers that God spares the city. He feels like fool for preaching destruction when no such destruction came. The book ends with Jonah and God at odds: Jonah stewing in his anger and God being satisfied with the repentance of the people of Nineveh. The book of Jonah is a short story told in four short chapters. No one knows if this is an historical story of an actual prophet named Jonah or an imaginative tale to teach about God’s universal love. Either way, the story brings up some real life scenarios for us today. When I talk with people of any age and ask them about their life’s calling, most people say that their ultimate desire is to live a life according to God’s purpose. Finding God’s purpose for our lives is a both a desire and a challenge. The book of Jonah lets us know that God uses people like us to accomplish godly tasks. Our desire is to assist God in those tasks. The challenge comes when God calls us to a task that we see as irrelevant and unglorified. Jonah saw no point in going to Nineveh and when he accomplished his task he felt stupid because it didn’t turn out the way he thought it would. Like Jonah, God calls each of us to devote ourselves to God’s service. God doesn’t call us to do the same things, but God calls each of us to different tasks. Some tasks are highly visible and appreciated, while others are often behind the scenes and rarely noticed. Although we want to serve, we might not feel equipped to be a leader or we might feel too proud to serve in menial ways. Although God might be calling us to serve in places against our will, be assured that God will not stop calling us until we answer. Once we answer and serve in that capacity, we must also be aware that the outcome might be different than we first imagined. God knows what God is doing. God desires to use us for His kingdom. The real question is will we be obedient to the task to which we are called and labor joyfully in the places we are sent? Prayer: God of Jonah, I know that you have plans and a purpose for my life. Grant me ears to hear where you are calling me. Grant me the courage and right spirit to serve you with a joyful heart. Grant me peace to trust you in all things. Amen.
For more informationRev. Leigh Martin |
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