Jonah

most of us know the story of Jonah... God called him to go and preach the word of God to a particular city.. and he did not want to do it... so he ran in the other direction... he gets on a ship headed for a city far away from where God was sending him and God sends a storm... and everyone is going to die on the boat... so he tells the sailors to throw him over and that the sea will calm... and God sends a great fish.. we all imagine to be a whale... and it swallows him up.. but he doesn't die... he sits in the fish for 3 days.. and then tells God he will surely go to ninevah.. the fish spits him out.. he goes to ninevah.. he preaches of God and the city is saved... but then.. amazingly.. instead of being glad.. he is angry with God... as though he did not want them to be saved...

can you imagine being on the ship.. and the storm beginning... I won't ask can you imagine running from God.. we all run from God.. to the darkest place we can find thinking that God will not follow us there... but He does... strangely.. God doesn't seem to care where He has to go to get us.. He will come get us and pull us up out... how many times has a storm begun because we have run from God... maybe not a storm like Jonah dealt with... but a storm of another sort... financial distress... illness.. whatever it is that God uses to get our attention... and maybe it only lasts as long as till we see that God is the one in control... just like Jonah's storm... his time in the fish only lasted until he was willing to go the direction God wanted him to go.. when will we ever realize that God's way is the only way there is... we try to run.. we try to hide... there is no where to go that God is not there... funny.. God uses the EXACT same words in Chapter 3 of Jonah as He does in Chapter one... telling Jonah that he is to go to ninevah... we keep thinking God is going to change His mind if we don't like something... the bible says that God is not a man that He should change His mind... when He says something.. He means it.. and sometimes He will go silent until we decide to do what He said...

I think we all need to be cautious about trying to take God's glory on ourselves for our little part of kingdom work.. I think Jonah was angry.. not because they were saved.. are we really ever angry when someone is saved? I can't imagine that is the issue.. I am thinking it is because he thought he would get there.. he would preach and the whole city would be destroyed and HE WOULD GET ALL THE ATTENTION... that he was such an awesome man.. and God used him to wipe out all these heathens... and clean up the world.. using HIM... all emphasis being on HIM.. none being on God.. and he gets mad.. because God is getting all the attention and all the glory... that is a terrible thing.. it comes down to being prideful...

I am thankful that God is gracious.. He gives us another chance when we fall... He doesn't take away our promises just because we have disobeyed.. He brings His will to pass in spite of us... yet still using us... He changes us.. changes our minds.. changes our hearts until we can line up with His will... I am thankful...