Imagine a ship at sea without someone to chart its course. That would surely spell danger for all onboard, and shipwreck is almost inevitable. We could end up in some very dangerous places, and experience some hostility; we might even be killed! Such is the case, if we don’t allow the Lord to chart our course, and lead us to our final destination. Throw overboard all the heavy weights, and unnecessary cargo, sit back, and enjoy the voyage!
But wait, let's make sure that we are not the ones causing the storm because of our own disobedience. Remember Jonah? He was running as fast as he could away from the presence of God. You would think Jonah being a man that feared the Lord, the God of heaven which made the sea and the dry land, as he himself proclaims in Jonah 1:9, would have the knowledge that there is no escaping the presence of God. His eyes are everywhere, for he is omnipresent. Yet Jonah went down to Joppa, paid the fare to go with them unto Tarshish, from the presence of the Lord.
We all know the outcome of what happened to him. It took some discomfort, some crying, and some prayers, to bring Jonah back to a place of hearing, and heeding the voice of God. He was truly afraid, as he pondered his fate in the belly of the fish. He might have envisioned being vomited out in the depths of the ocean instead of on dry ground—he would have perished in a watery grave. The thought must have consumed him! Hear his cry in Jonah chapter 2: “Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, and he said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me, out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heard my voice. For thou has cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas, and the floods compassed me about; all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then said I: I am cast out of thy sight, yet I would look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul, the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped around my head."
When his soul fainted within him, Jonah remembered the Lord. He began to worship God with thanksgiving, and pledged to pay that which he vowed, and the Lord spoke unto the fish, and it vomited Jonah upon the dry ground.
Like Jonah, many of us can relate to some degree of disobedience in our own lives. We often procrastinate when God instructs us to do something, or we pretend he is speaking to someone else other than ourselves. Where is our Ninevah? Have we considered the thousands of souls that dwell there, who as God said to Jonah cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand. Maybe our city is just a little one—our home, workplace, school, friends, relatives, acquaintances.
It’s a joy and a privilege to be the called of God, but our fears like Jonah’s, often get in the way. Thank God for his abundant mercies! He will yet use us, if our hearts are tender towards him, and we yield to his will, and obey his commands. He will often call a second and a third time. May we say “Yes Lord, send me.”
Scripture Reading:
The Book of Jonah
- A Walk In The Garden Devotions
