How often are you and I like Jonah? Jonah was not just a reluctant prophet he was a rebellious prophet. God gave him a message to go to Nineveh and tell them that because their wickedness judgment was coming, Jonah 1:1. It’s not the sort of message anyone would put their hand up to deliver, especially to their enemies.
Jonah wanted no part of it. He fled to Tarshish. Sometimes we can be just like Jonah. God gives us a message to give to our family, our friends, workmates and neighbors and instead of passing on that message, we ignore God’s promptings; we let opportunities slide by and don’t say anything. Why? Often because like Jonah we are afraid of what other people will think. Afraid they’ll think we’re religious crackpots.
Recently we invited some new friends for dinner. These friends don’t go to church, but know that we do and are Christians. We could have chosen to not say grace before we ate. But we didn’t. We said grace and thanked God for bringing them to our house and that we could get to know them better.
Other times we might not do what God wants because it doesn’t fit in with our plans. We like to plan ahead what we’re doing. Taking time to spend with someone who’s sick or sharing the gospel with someone or helping someone learn more of Jesus doesn’t fit into the schedule we have devised. But as Brother Yun says, ‘It is never a good idea to put your own plans ahead of God’s plans. Doing so is guaranteed to end in disaster and pain,’ as Jonah found out.
Too often like Jonah, we let fear dictate our actions. What is God calling you to do that has you fearful? Will you choose to trust in God to provide all you need and step out in faith with Him, remembering that God is the sovereign Lord who has the power to change lives?
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