Category: Jonah

Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid… (Jonah 1:4-5).

The Law of Unintended Consequences.

I’m sure that Jonah wasn’t trying to put a bunch of pagan sailors in jeopardy.

I’m sure he wasn’t thinking about them at all.

He was just…running.

But when you run from God, when you deliberately put yourself outside of His will, stuff’s gonna happen.  You put yourself and others in situations that God never intended for you. Sin is like a nuclear blast, with fallout that you can neither predict nor control.

Bottom line—your sin is not just your own.  People can get hurt because of your disobedience.

Time for a heart check, Beloved.  Are there areas in your life you need to fix, sins you need to confess, attitudes you need to repent of?

Because you know, people are getting wet.

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

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…  (Jonah 1:1-3)

I talk a good game.

I say that I wish God would just be clear, tell me exactly what he wants of me.

And yet…

You know what I’m talking about.  You’re praying, asking for God’s guidance, and you get an answer.  A full-blown, here’s-what-I-want-you-to-do-Kid sort of answer. You know it in your heart.

But…

It’s not the answer you wanted.

In fact, it’s totally wrong.

So you run.

Oh, you may not hop a ship to Tarshish, but you run.

Why is it that when we say “Thy will…” we usually mean, “My will…?”

Because…you know…human.

Beloved, as we head into Wednesday, let’s try a little experiment.. Let’s pray that God would use us—no strings attached.  However, wherever and with whomever he chooses. Let’s lay ourselves at his feet and await his command. And then let’s follow.

Yeah, I know it’s a scary concept, but we trust him.

Right?

Happy Wednesday, Beloved.

Final thoughts before we leave Jonah son of Amittai…

Jonah wanted to serve God.

On Jonah’s terms.

Our relationship with Jesus Christ is portrayed in many ways in Scripture.

We are servant, disciple, ambassador, friend, brother, child, Bride.

Never—not once—contract employee.

A contract employee signs an agreement to do a specified job for a specified amount of pay.  Employer and employee negotiate over duties and payment, and the employee is not expected to perform any tasks not detailed in the negotiations.

“Sorry,” he can say, “That’s not in my contract.”

The Lord of the Universe doesn’t work that way.

He’s not interested in negotiation—only surrender.

Utter, complete obedience and submission, whether you understand what he’s doing or not.  Whether you like what he’s doing or not.  It sounds harsh, and I wouldn’t recommend it with anyone else but the One who gave his only son, that if you trust him you shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

So once again, we find ourselves at the question: Do you trust him, Beloved?

Submit boldly today.  Kneel tall, and surrender at the top of your lungs.

Happy Monday, Beloved.

The Lord said, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow…but Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well.  Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (Jonah 4:10-11)

Ouch.

Sometimes, it’s just too much for me.

The heart of God, I mean.

My world is so small, the things that affect me so close, I forget that God cares about the whole world.

All of it.

Even the cows.

I am important to him, yes.

So very important.

But so are the others.

There are, quite literally, millions upon millions of people out there who are living without Christ, who don’t know right from wrong because they have never been introduced to Truth.

And my biggest worry today is how I’m going to get to Costco and the DMV after work and still have time to deal with the pile of tree branches in my yard.

I’ve always wondered what Jonah’s response to God’s question was.  Did getting a peek into the scope of God’s love change his perspective?

Does it change mine?

Happy Friday, Beloved.

Then the Lord God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah…and Jonah was very happy about the vine.  But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.  When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint (Jonah 4:6-8).

A vine, a worm, a scorching wind.

Wow, gee…thanks God.

Notice the repetition.  God provided…God provided…God provided. Delightful vine and icky worm and painful wind, it all came from Him.

And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, it time for the “Truth You Didn’t Wanna Hear Show.”  And here’s your host…Michael!

Provision isn’t about what you think you want.

It’s about what God knows you need.

I know you didn’t wanna hear that…hence the name of my imaginary show.

But it’s true.  Again…the name.

Do you trust God, Beloved?  Do you believe that what he provides will be good and right and exactly what you need, even if it looks like a worm?

Do I?

I hope so, for both of us.

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

But the Lord replied, “Have you any right to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4)

Leave it to God to get right to the heart of the issue.

I mean, seriously.  Who was Jonah to get so self-righteous and uptight?  I love the fact that God does not engage Jonah on the relative merits of the Ninevitian repentance, because that’s not the issue.

The issue is the nature of God.

Is God responsible to us?  Is he required to answer our questions or fulfill our expectations?

Or is he Lord of the Universe, Almighty God, creator and ruler of all, beholden to none?

How easily we forget.

And by “We,” I mean, you know…me.

Beloved, when it comes right down to it, we are a lot closer to the Ninevites’ level than to God’s.  If we really push for justice over grace, we will not be pleased with the outcome.

Trust me—if the Justice rock drops, we are all in the splash zone.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved.

He prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, is this not what I said…?  I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.  Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”  (Jonah 2:10)

He knew the words.

He just didn’t live them.

The words Jonah uses here should be familiar—they’re used over and over again in the Scriptures to describe God’s character. These were probably some of the first verses Jonah memorized in Sunday School.

Yes, I know it wasn’t Sunday School at that time—just go with me.

I’ll bet that, over the years, Jonah had recited these words with joy, with hope, in supplication, applying them to himself and to his people.  He rejoiced over God’s forgiveness—for himself and those he loved.

But…the Ninevites?  The oppressors of Israel?  Deniers of the Most High God?  The wicked ick of the world?  It was unacceptable to Jonah that God could apply the same mercy, the same compassion, the same love to them that he so often gave to Israel.

So, Jonah knew the heart of God.

He just didn’t share it.

And you, Beloved?  And I?

Look, I’m sure you see where I’m going here, and I know you’ve got to get on with your Tuesday.  Just keep this in mind, as you look around your world today:

All those verses you’ve memorized…do they apply to all those people out there?

Do you share the heart of God for these people?

Do you even want to?

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.

But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry (Jonah 4:1).

I know it’s wrong

immature

unspiritual

but…I love this.

I’m so glad we have Jonah.  He’s a real person, not a cutout character from a Sunday School felt board.  Jonah feels angry because he knows that the Ninevites don’t deserve God’s mercy.  They deserve a serious smack down, and Jonah was looking forward to a front row seat.

Been there, Jonah.

Felt that.

Every time I’m in heavy traffic.

You know, there’s a way out of a Jonah mood.  It’s kind of dangerous, though.  You can look closely at those Ninevites, and you can pray that God would allow you to see these people as he sees them.  God will grant your request, if you really mean it.

And you will lose your capacity to hate them, no matter how badly they drive.

Like I said, though, it’s dangerous.  You may begin to see a lot of things as God sees them, and that’ll change you.

Are you up for that, Beloved?

Happy Monday.

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened (Jonah 5:10).

They didn’t deserve it.

Mercy, I mean.

A little sackcloth and a few skipped meals hardly make up for generations of wickedness.

And yet, that is the very nature of mercy.  God was willing to see beyond their sin, to look at hearts that, however briefly, recognized their evil and turned to him.

He sent Jonah because he wanted to forgive the Ninevites.  He was looking for a reason.  I don’t know why he would want to forgive them.

But then, I don’t know why he would want to forgive me.

And forgiving me cost him ever so much more than forgiving the city of Nineveh.

You know what I mean, Beloved?

Yes, you do.

Happy Friday.

The Ninevites believed God. (Jonah 3:5)

Believing God—that’s always a good idea.

Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Gen 15:6)

Anyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. (1 John 5:1)

For God so loved the world that he gave his Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

There’s no better place to start—or end—than simply believing God.

So…do you, Beloved?

Believe him, I mean.  His Word says so much about who he is, and his attitude towards sin, and how much he loves us, and our relationship with him, and our eternity—do you live as though all of that were true?

I do

mostly

sometimes

but sometimes I forget.  Sometimes I believe what the world says. That seldom works out well for me.

There was a whole lot riding on Nineveh’s choice to believe God.

There’s a whole lot riding on your choice today.

So…choose.

Happy Thursday, Beloved.