JONAH 1:17- 2:1-9 – And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!”
THEME OF THE DAY: THE EXTENT GOD GOES. Let’s make a joint confession before we start. There have been times we have been Jonah in our walks with the Lord. Granted we didn’t catch a plane, board a ship or train and try to do the ludicrous impossibility – run and hide from God. What I mean is each of us have been reluctant to do what God commands of us. Allow me to offer a few “maybes” that would make us like disobedient Jonah.
Perhaps we experienced or are experiencing a strained relationship that requires mending. The conflict might be actually sin that needs the process of reconciliation described in Matthew 18. Or maybe there is some hurt caused by miscommunication. Whatever the matter of relationships that need mending, there is a reluctance because we don’t like conflict. We just might be a Jonah attempting to run from the situation. It happens quite often in churches. People leave and do with unresolved relational issues existing.
Another Jonah-like disobedience occurs in sharing the Gospel. We are commanded to go and proclaim Christ (Matthew 28:18-20), but sometimes fear grips us and we “run” from the opportunity either justifying the disobedience or giving into the fear.
One more act of disobedience modeling Jonah was his failure to love. He had no heart for the lost in Ninevah, and actually no love for the sailors. Eventually, he told them he was the cause of their trouble but not at first. We follow his pattern by our lack of love, impartial love, for people. When we are selective in loving people, we know nothing about the love of Christ and being under His control.
As bad as Jonah acted, and us as well in our disobedience, the lesson to grasp is how God’s love knows no limits on reaching out and restoring His wayward children. For Jonah? The belly of a fish. For us? We don’t know how severe God’s work of restoration will be in our lives so let’s avoid His mysterious work by striving for obedience before this work is necessary.
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for Your tough love restoring me when I sin.”
QUOTE: “Be careful with sin. We don’t know the length God will go to restore us.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim