Corona Devo 1091

Does "Jonah" keep "turning up" in our lives?  

Well, he is now!  

I have a friend who asked me recently if she had told me about "Jonah".  The way she said it, I felt like there was a new man in her life.  I found out that this was sort of true.

Jonah, a man from the Bible keeps coming up in her life, as God continues to speak to her through Jonah's story.  It started when she was asked to teach the Bible account of Jonah at an upcoming Awana meeting at their church.  So, she did what she always does when preparing to teach about God's Word: she studied the Book of Jonah.

Then, her women's Bible study moved to a new person in their "Bible Personalities" study...you guessed it: Jonah.

This week the cable guy came out to do some work at their house.  His name was Jonah.

And then last night as I sat by her at the movies (Go see "Jesus Revolution!"), one of the Bible accounts that is highlighted in the movie was...can you guess?  Jonah.

I told you he keeps turning up.

Should we wonder why?  

Yes.

Sometimes God repeats and confirms lessons/directions/commands in our lives...so that we will wake up or pay attention to them, and learn what He is teaching us through them.  

Do we know the story of Jonah?  Well, we will now!

Jonah had an assignment from the Lord...to go tell some people (in the city of Nineveh) about God.  The interesting thing about Jonah was that he didn't want to do it.  Jonah didn't like the people of Nineveh (Ninevites).  

Is there anyone WE should be telling about the Lord, but we are not because we do not "like" them?

But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord.  ~Jonah 1:3

Awww, snap!  That's gutsy, Jonah--Heading in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord?  (Didn't Jonah learn anything from Adam and Eve hiding in the Garden of Eden after they had sinned by eating the forbidden fruit?  Spoiler alert--we can't hide from God.)

And (although he tried) Jonah could not hide for long either.  He hopped on a ship, setting sail the opposite way, but the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. (5) Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.  

(7) Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. 

(8) “Why has this awful storm come down on us?”... 

(9) Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”  

(10) The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. (11) And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?”  

(12) “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”...   

(15) Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! (16) The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.  

(17) Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.  ~Jonah 1:4-5, 7-12, 15-17

Isn't the Bible wild and exciting?  

Isn't God's pursuit of us fervent and fantastic, even when we are having pity-parties, or holding our hands up to our eyes, claiming that He "can't see us"?

~~~

Jonah has turned up in our lives today.  

I wonder why?

Who are the Ninevites that we are reluctant (blatantly disobeying God) in reaching out to?  I imagine that someone (or a group of someone's) just popped into our minds...and this is God, bringing up our "Ninevites" again.

We can't run from God's call on our lives...even if it makes us uncomfortable because those He is calling-us-to are lost or are in a "group" that we dislike.  Who else would God call us to reach out to?  

The Lord gave this message to Jonah... (2) “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”  ~Jonah 1:1-2

So, I am sorry to mention it..but God brought up Jonah again.  

For a reason.  

I think we know what it is.  

Let's stop trying to outrun the Lord or abort the mission He has assigned us to.  It's not going to end well for us if we continue on the stormy seas of our voyage instead of God's.  We can't outrun Him.  But  can get honest and ask ourselves why we are trying to.

God's message of love (and consequence sans salvation) is for everyone.  Especially the wicked--they do not know God or His ways...   Announce my judgment...because I have seen how wicked its people are.”  ~Jonah 1:2

Some "Jonah" needs to introduce God to them.  Is it us?

Why else would Jonah be "turning up" in our lives again today?  

Let's let this "new man" into our lives.  (He's just going to keep turning up anyways!)  

Who are our Ninevites?  Let's get started and stop stalling.  Why?  Because the people of Nineveh believed God’s message  (Jonah 3:5) and the people of our "Nineveh" are waiting to believe it too.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com