Story of Jonah

We finished our bible study about Jonah yesterday. To be honest, really the only major thing I knew about Jonah prior to this study was that he spent time in a fish. It was awesome to be able to spend time digging into this chapter, and realizing that although only 4 chapters, there was so much to learn and I could see myself in Jonah in many ways while realizing so much about God too.

To quickly summarize the story, God calls Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh to preach to the people. Well, Jonah is not having it so instead chooses to run as far as he can in the opposite direction, fleeing from God’s call. So he hops on this ship and while this massive storm is happening, Jonah is downstairs sleeping. He is picked by the others on the ship to be thrown into the sea and God appoints a great fish to swallow him. Chapter 2 is Jonah’s prayer to the Lord. He calls out to the Lord and repents. God forgives, and the fish vomits Jonah back onto land. Jonah then finally goes to Nineveh, but Jonah is angry because he doesn’t want the Lord to save the evil people of Nineveh. At times throughout the study, I found myself getting slightly annoyed with Jonah. First of all, God calls him to take this message to people who are in desperate need of hearing about God. Then, even after God saved His life, he is angry because things don’t go the way he wants. Then, I  realized I’m guilty of the same actions and mistakes Jonah made. God will always lead us, but He is not a God of coercion. He’s not going to force us, He is a God of love. God is pursuing Jonah because He LOVES Him. God has something important He wants Jonah to learn. If God has a purpose for me, it’s going to be done. While sometimes I catch myself falling into the trap of, “maybe if I run away or put some distance between me and God, I won’t have to do this”. It’s like when your Mom wants the kids to help with the chores and you use the same tactic – you flee to your room or basement, somewhere away, thinking you can avoid it. You forget she has legs and can walk to find you. God is even more powerful! Like Jonah, I need to often check my heart and ensure I am being obedient to the Lord, what He wants me to do, what He has to tell me, and where He wants me to go. If I don’t obey Him, then I am being prideful and stubborn. An obedient act with a disobedient heart is just a show. Like Jonah, time and time again I have to come before the Lord and humble myself, acknowledging what I did wrong. Studying Jonah reminded me that I am not living anymore. Once I committed to following Christ, I handed over my life to Him. He is the one that is leading me because my heart is in Him. A little nugget of gold I learned in the study was, “an ocean full of head knowledge is not worth an ounce of heart knowledge”. The calling of God is irrevocable.

“For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” – Romans 11:29

 We can’t change the story of our lives, but we can agree to be changed through the story God has given us.