The story of Jonah has never been one of my favorite Bible stories. Even though there are many others that are far more gory, this one makes my stomach turn. It's a little too fishy for me. Not that I don't believe it, I simply don't like to think about a man rolling around in the slime and contents of the belly of a fish for three days, and then being vomited from it's mouth.. It's not a pretty picture, though it's a whale of a story! I prefer stories such as the one about Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus while Martha scurried about in the kitchen. That one I can identify with. Nope, I didn't think I had much in common with Jonah. Boy, was I wrong!
This past weekend was our Ladies Conference. It was an intensive Bible study via a six part DVD series by Priscilla Shirer called, "Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted." I much preferred this method instead of viewing it one session per week. I felt like I got a full dose for what was ailing me instead of an itty-bitty teaspoonful.
You know the story, God interrupted Jonah's life when He instructed him to go to Ninevah and deliver a message to them. Jonah had a nice little life where he was. He didn't like the Ninevites and he certainly did not want to go minister to them. So, he did what most of us do when when our life is interrupted. He whined and cried around to God, and then he bolted. He ran away from God. Tee hee! Ran away from God. When I think about it, it's really quite funny how we do that, because God knows where we are and what we are doing at all times. We act like a child who puts his hands over his face, thinking this hides him from his parents.
Jonah found himself in a sticky, stinky situation. I've been there, haven't you? Your life goes along smoothly. You're happy in your mess. Then something happens that rocks your world. In an instant, your life changes. You lose a loved one, or your job, or your finances take an unexpected dive. You thought you would be married forever and your husband comes home and tells you he doesn't want to be married to you anymore. These are examples of how our life can be interrupted. What do we do when this happens? How do we figure it all out? It's hard to move forward and leave the past behind. The past, albeit good or bad, is a familiar place. It doesn't scare us like the unknown future does. Priscilla said , "The hardest reason to go to the next thing is the last thing God gave you. You get comfortable where you are.......The interrupted life looks different and difficult." This is because we fear the unknown. Who is the author of fear? It's not Jesus. You got it! It's the enemy, Satan.
The thing is, we can't get away from our interrupted life. We have to learn to navigate through the changes, and do it the way God tells us to do it. In Jonah 1:2, God tells Jonah, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” You can't go until you get up, so God told him to arise. Then He told him to go to this big city, and then he told him to speak judgment against it.
How many times have you been told to do something by God and you put it off, or tried it your way, only to come full circle and do it God's way, because you had no peace until you did? I know I have, more times than I care to admit. Like Jonah, when things happen to me that are hard to handle, I spin my wheels in the mud for a while, whine and cry to my family and friends, finally coming to a place of obedience, because I have learned the hard way that it's the only way.
Priscilla said, "If you are a believer, all the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit is yours, because He resides in you. When He says "arise and go", it's because He wants you to experience something different....God loves to put us in the challenge, because that's when He gets to be who He is!" Once we grab hold of this truth, we can arise and go forward with boldness and confidence that God has our back. After Jonah cried out to God, God responded. He gave Jonah a second chance. I'm thankful for second chances, aren't you?
I could go on and on. I could tell you story after story of how God has interrupted my life, or how I interrupted my own and He accepted me back and put me back on track, but I'm probably pushing it to get you to finish reading this. Priscilla made her point by showing us five promises when we obey God.
Jonah 3: 3-4:
1. We get a second chance. (Hallelujah!)
2. He will give us His presence. (Oh, how I need Him!)
3. We get an exceedingly great opportunity for God to show us His power within us. God can make the impossible possible. (I've experienced it first-hand.)
4. We get divine anointing. (That's powerful!)
5. We get supernatural results when we are obedient to God,and with His anointing, we can expect huge things! We have God's presence not only in us, but on us. ( I know this to be true!)
Has your life been interrupted? How are you navigating through it? What are your challenges? Do you have some decisions to make? Trust God. He has ALL the answers. He has a plan for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 is another one of my life verses. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
God is true to His word. He will never fail you or forsake you. "He's good at His job. Let God be God." - Priscilla Shirer
Pam Archer, Director
Women's Ministry
