Jonah

Jonah is a book in the bible that we often think of as a children's story. We tell it to our children and it almost seems to become a fictional tale of a man who gets swallowed by a whale. My boys are upstairs right now, watching Jonah Veggie Tales. When was the last time you looked at Jonah and what it really means to you as an adult? What are the messages that God is telling you, in this miraculous account? I have noticed several things as I read Jonah this morning and I would like to share this with you.

Jonah was chosen by God. He knew his God. He knew what God was asking of him and he ran from the one whom he could never actually run from. In the first chapter he admitted to the sailors that he had been running from God and that the storm was his fault. He admitted his guilt, but he was still unwilling to do what he knew must be done. He knew God was after him, but he wanted the sailors to throw him in the water. Why didn't he just jump in? He understood the ramifications of his choices. The storm was his fault and the sailors were going to perish because of him, yet he was still unwilling to take the leap himself. He wanted someone else to throw him in.

Jonah 2, "I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the world of the dead, and LORD, you heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. ...'O LORD, you have driven me from your presence. How will I ever again see your holy Temple?' ...I was locked out of life and imprisoned in the land of the dead. But you O LORD my God, have snatched me from the yawning jaws of death! When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. ...I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone."

While Jonah was praying to God, he was not yet delivered from his circumstances. He was praising God from the stomach of a fish. He could have very easily died there, yet he was praising his LORD. It took such horrible conditions for him to realize his wrong and change his direction. Even though he had seen his wrong for not obeying God in the first place, his heart was still not with God in His understanding of the situation. After God did not punish the people of Nineveh for their sins, Jonah was very angry. In his anger he chose to sit in the hot sun, then blamed everyone else for his misery. The whole time Jonah was the one responsible for his own circumstances. He was the one who chose to disobey God. He was the one who chose to sit in the hot sun. Then he was upset because of his own stupidity.

I have been Jonah so many times in my life. There have been those times when I knew I was doing something that God was definitely trying to stop me from doing, but I was determined to do it anyway. Then I found myself in unpleasant situations where death was right in front of me, because of my own choices. I knew what I was supposed to be doing, yet I was unwilling to take the right step for myself, so drastic resolutions had to be made for me. How many times have you done something that you knew was going against God's will for your life? Yet you did it anyway, then found yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Do you see that it is not really about your situation, but about your heart. Jonah kept finding himself in situations that was not God's choice for him. Jonah's heart was hard against God. If he had softened his heart he would have been fine. God kept him alive, in spite of his choices, but his circumstances were not what God was desiring for him. We have to look at our own situation and see what we have done and what God is truly wanting for us. You have to look into your own heart to see if your heart is with God and not just your outward appearance. If your heart is not with Him, then you will still be finding yourself in undesirable situations, even if you are doing the "right" thing. Give your heart to God and desire to do His will, so that you can enjoy your life.