"I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God." (Jonah 2:6)
God is so awesome! He has been on me all day long to read the book of Jonah. I have found other things to do instead, so I just now sat down to read it (it is about 10:45 p.m.). I knew there was a message hidden for me, else He wouldn't have kept after me to read the entire book.
The entirety of chapter two is Jonah's prayer of thanksgiving and repentance to God from inside the fish's belly. You remember the story. God told him to go preach the message of repentance to the people of Ninevah. Instead, he went in the opposite direction (physically and spiritually). His disdain for the people of Ninevah was deep. In fact, when God forgave them and saved them from destruction, Jonah prayed to die rather than to live knowing they were saved! I wish I didn't understand how he felt; however, there have been people in my own life I felt pretty strongly about in like manner. Maybe you have, too. Bill collectors, bank officers, police officers, a nasty neighbor, Osama bin Laden, whomever. Yet even in Jonah's direct disobedience and blind hatred against the very people God wanted to save, he cried out to God in thanksgiving, asked God to hear his prayer, and save him. And He did!
After the fish spit Jonah out on the shore, he did as God asked him to and went to the city of Ninevah. The people heeded his message and repented, then God spared their lives. How awesome is God in His great mercy! How longsuffering is He with us in our disobedience and rebellion! He not only spared Jonah's life, but fulfilled His promise concerning the Ninevites in sparing their lives as well. Hallelujah to God!
Where are you tonight? Are you also running from the calling of God or the mission to which He has called you? There are multiplied hundreds of thousands (if not more) stories of men and women who ran the opposite direction - much like Jonah did when God commissioned them to some task. Yet when they repented, turned into God's will, and obeyed He graciously rescued them, empowered them, and blessed their lives. That could be your story. It is becoming mine again. That was the message God had for me today and I am happy to share it with you. Repent. Cry out to God wherever you are. He will hear and He will answer. Do it now.
Be blessed.
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