As Unto God: A Workman Approved Pt II

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth. 2 Tim 2:15

Hello again,

Right, let's pick up exactly where we left off last time by taking a further look at the story of Jonah and the whale.

So far, we've discovered that what happens when you wilfully disobey God as, in Jonah's case, a run in the opposite direction resulted in a set of circumstances that saw him in the belly of a big fish.

Yet, even in circumstances of disobedience, as discussed last week, God can, and will, still seek us out when we go astray.

How great an example of lovingkindness!

The Diligence of God

He doesn't always leave us in our mess, though there are often occasions and I can testify to that, where God will often watch us for a moment to see what we'll do next as we sink into our mistakes.

Will we lift our hands to Him?

Or will we continue to struggle as the quicksand of our mistakes grows ever stronger?

I know some years back there was a dark period of my life where I did just that, convinced myself that God not only wasn't interested but also He couldn't help!

How messed up is that???

We're talking about the God of the universe here and I was too busy convincing myself that my wretched life was something He could do nothing with.

That, right there, is where depression latched onto my life!

I had a very dark experience during that time that convinced me that... well, let's just say for now that it convinced me that this was how life was meant to be lived.

Back to point.

So, as the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, let's take a look at what happened next.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you.” Jonah 3:1-2 HCSB

So what happened here?

The word of the Lord hadn't changed.

God vs. Man vs. Circumstance

In other words, God reminded him that he was still being called to Nineveh for a reason, one that he had previously tried to run away from by running in the opposite direction.

But this time, things played out differently, as having been vomited out by the whale, Jonah clearly saw the light and this time decided to run toward God's calling voice.

What did I say last time about Jesus being the Shepherd? He recognised that we, like sheep, need caring for because we really cannot make good of everything all the time.

"My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me." John 10:27 HCSB (emphasis added)

There you go!

The first time, Jonah heard God's voice but he didn't really hear what he was saying. He thought he knew better. He thought he could get away from his calling.

The second time, however, things played out differently and he went in the direction he was called in.

Next week, I'm going to take a look at how that applies to us, or at the very least how it should apply!

Stay tuned for part three...

Peace out!