“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’ But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:1-3).
The introduction to Jonah is so relevant to me.
1) The word of the Lord came to Jonah. There is no indication that Jonah was confused or had any doubt about who was directing him.
2) Jonah was told to go to Nineveh to preach repentance. There is no indication that Jonah was confused or had any doubt about what He was told to do.
3) But … Jonah didn’t want to do what God told him to do. It is that simple.
In an effort not to do what God told him to do, he tried to run away from God. However, the Psalmist helps us see the futility of such a thought:
“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you” (Psalm 139:7-12).
Like Jonah, I find myself refusing to do what God tells me to do OR doing what God tells me not to do. I may not actually say the words, but my actions scream, “I don’t care what you say, I’m going to do what I want to do.”
Of course, this spirit never leads to good … even if it takes a while to realize it. I’m amazed at how easy it is to recognize Jonah’s obstinate spirit, but not my own. Yikes!
Father, forgive me for being sinfully stubborn against your directives. Please help me to become more mature in my faith. Amen.
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