How many times have you and I told God "no" when it comes to making a decision in life? These decisions may involve decisions based on a mission trip, Church position, financial decision, who to date/marry decision, etc. If choosing out of your own wisdom, sometimes these decisions can take bad turns and end up costing you something or someone. God gives us the opportunity to come to Him and ask Him for guidance and direction and when/if given, if you don't heed, there could be consequences. Take a look at Jonah's life story for just a moment.
Jonah 1:1-3 says,
"Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose 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 from the presence of the Lord."
Obviously, when reading this story, you and I can concur that it wasn't very wise for Jonah to tell the God of the universe NO. Obviously, all we have here is not a verbal "no" but a physical "no." Apparently, Jonah thought he could just run away from God and not get caught but in this next verse you will see how far that act got him.
Jonah 1:4 says,
"But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up."
The word "tempest" literally means "a violent storm." God wasn't playing around. Billy Graham puts it eloquently when he said,
Jonah 1:4 tells us, “The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea
and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was
about to break up.” I’ve noticed that if I leave the intimate
presence of God, there’s more trouble for me outside His
presence than in it. That was Jonah’s experience, too. The
ship was caught in a great storm, and the crew cast lots to
discover who was to blame. The lot fell to Jonah, and they
dealt with the problem by tossing him overboard.
The rest of this episode goes on as follows in verses 5-17:
"Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?” for the sea was growing more tempestuous. And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.” Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.” So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."
Billy Graham described Jonah as a prodigal son of God. He put it best when he said, "God didn’t give up on Jonah. God prepared a massive sea creature to swallow His prophet and save him. This is a prime example of God’s grace in the life of someone who was wasting his relationship with God."
Of course, any of you who grew up in church, already know this story from Sunday school but it still applies to our lives today. God is here to rescue us and He saves us for a special purpose in life. The wisest thing we can do as His children, is to just say YES. He wouldn't call you to do something or lead you on a certain path if He didn't already have it worked out for your own good. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." We should also not lose the point of why God wanted to use Jonah. Not only was it for Jonah, it was for the people living in Nineveh. God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh to tell them about who He was and the consequence of what would happen if they didn't repent of their wicked ways. So, the next time God speaks to you and asks you to do something, what would be the wisest thing to do? He is still alive and well and is working in your life. Granted, He is God and He will receive glory regardless of our stubborn attitudes, but He also gives us the opportunity to perform tasks for Him so that we may grow in grace and knowledge of who He is. Just close your eyes, relax, and say, "Yes, Lord. Lead me where You want me to go, direct me on the right path, and help me to be ready and available for you on a moment's notice." I promise, if you listen to Him, He will bless you for obeying. It will be the best decision of your life.
Beautifully written and true!
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