Futility of ignoring the calling of God

Jonah 1:14-17 (NIV)

Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.  

A pastor noticed a little girl standing outside the church after Sunday School clutching a book with the title “Jonah and the Whale”.  Here is their conversation:

Pastor: “Do you believe that story about Jonah and the Whale to be true?”

Little Girl: “Of course, I believe it to be true.”

Pastor: “You really believe that a man can be swallowed by a big whale, stay alive

    inside it all that time and come out of there still alive and okay?”

Little Girl: “Absolutely, this story is in the Bible and just studied about it.”

Pastor: “Well, little girl, can you prove to me that this story is the truth?”

She thought for a moment, then replied, “Well, when I get to Heaven, I’ll ask Jonah.”

Pastor: “Well, what if Jonah’s not in heaven?”

She put her hands on her hips and sternly declared, “Then YOU can ask him!”

The story of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish and surviving for three days and three nights before being vomited out is difficult to believe.  Yet, how many other Biblical stories/miracles are difficult to believe?  There always has be an element of faith to believe what the Bible says.

Jonah was a patriotic Jew who hated his country’s enemies.  He probably prayed for God to destroy the enemy, Assyria, yet God called him to go to the Assyrian city, Nineveh, and preach to them (Jonah 1:2).  Jonah was afraid and tried to flee from God, but it was in his flight that he was thrown into the sea and swallowed by the great fish.  You should read the four chapters of Jonah, if you haven’t already, and realize that each chapter has a major theme:

Chapter 1   Running from God                   Jonah tried to flee from God’s command         

Chapter 2   Running toward God               Jonah prayed for God’s help

Chapter 3   Running with God                    Jonah obeyed God’s command

Chapter 4   Running ahead of God           Read further

In Chapter 4 Jonah became angry with God because God saved the enemies of Israel to whom Jonah preached in Chapter 3.  The lesson here is that Jonah did not love the people of Nineveh like God loved them and wanted them saved.  God calls you to participate in His redemptive process for people in this world, but you cannot control the process as Jonah wanted to do. 

Another key lesson from the story of Jonah is this----God asks you to do something for him (help another person, get involved in some ministry, become a full time minister, stop doing something He disapproves of, etc) and until you obey Him in the action He wants you to take now, He has nothing more to say to you.  God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh and until he finally did, God did not ask him to do something else. 

What might be the “Nineveh” in your life?  What do you know that God has called you to do and you have not yet obeyed Him in doing it?  Your conscience will not be at peace and you will be outside the will of God until you respond and do what He has called you to do right now.