Since I'm gonna be gutsy and let you see my messy diary I decided to go back a few years, hoping that I would reread and say "Wow! how I've grown" Wow! It reinforced my gratitude to a merciful and patient God who absolutely loves me. Like Jonah, he is my friend who reasons with me and leads me through his narrow path so that I can enter into his peace one day.
Jonah-The Son of Gods Truth
This mighty prophet of God was something else right? His attitude has definitely repelled me, but the relationship between him and God, got my attention. I had a long discourse with God about it.
I wrote in 2010
"Today I saw myself in Jonah Lord. I've had some pretty harsh thoughts. Some are plain twisted" Honestly at first I judged Jonah with such indignation. Then, I could tell that throughout these pages of my diary I saw that I was very much like him. God didn't open the windows of heaven to comfort me, he let me put everything on the table and see it... It was pretty ugly. The angry "pointing my finger at God attitude" accusing him for being so compassionate, when "they're such wicked sinners". I was uncovered.
"He was running from you." How many times have I run from God's direct command to do something? "keep your mouth shut" I don't. "Turn the other cheek" It's too much Lord. "Give and it will be given to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over '' But Lord, what about my need? "Forgive as you've been forgiven" A cry of indignation rises up with in, don’t you remember what she did to me Lord?...
And so I run to the bottom of the ship and hide. Let whatever is gonna happen, happen. God will take care of it.
"Jonah knew exactly what had to be done to calm the storm but he made no personal attempt to calm it" Yikes! There's been times that I haven't spoken up when the answer is on my lips. Sometimes I can argue, It doesn't concern me Lord. And maybe it doesn't, but I do have an answer. Instead I hope they figure things out, I even pray.
"Jonah is selfish. Only when He had nothing else to do he cried out to God" In the belly of the whale, at the end of his rope. Notice, that he knew exactly what he had to do. Jonah 2:1 "Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God...He cried out to God and God rescued him, 😏but he did put the command to him again...Go to where you don't want to go...
Three Days
Jonah obeyed God after three days in the belly of the big fish. He worked hard and accomplished the mission in three days. The Son of Gods Truth preached a hard cold message of judgment. The government believed the message! Legislation was passed a city wide day of prayer and fasting was issued. It was very obvious to Jonah that it was supernatural, that God was doing this. Revival broke out.
The next day I wrote, “What was Jonah angry about? Because the people were saved? Or because he had to be put out and made to be uncomfortable when he knew God could have done things differently and reached the same goal?” (only disclaimer I can give for bad sentences is that it was an emotional moment)
These Old Testament stories tend to send sparks flying to the right side of my brain and it goes into overload. Here are a couple back story scenarios:
Maybe he was angry that there didn’t seem to be any judgment for their wicked actions. I mean he had been preaching “40 days and Ninevah shall be overthrown!” His whole reputation as a prophet was at stake.
Maybe Jonah talked to God about his plan? Could it be that he wanted to preach in another city? One closer to his family. One where he could relate to people. I mean the Assyrians were the arch enemy of God and his people, didn’t God know they couldn’t be trusted? He must have been afraid, "those people" were dangerous.
Obviously Jonah forgot or criticized Gods compassion and mercy to all people, even those we consider our enemy.
Jonah was "cabezon" hard headed and stubborn...like some people I know 😟 But thankfully God never changes, stay on course, loves us through our failures.
Jonah was going to be my grandsons name, but a girl came first, then another girl, and another one. Instead, “Jeremiah- appointed by God” arrived.
“The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works” Psalms 145:9
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