Scripture: Jonah 1:3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
Devotion: Do you ever read about times that the Lord spoke to people in the Old Testament and wish He spoke that clearly to you? Sometimes I read the story about how God spoke to Moses through a burning a bush and think that it would really be much simpler if He appeared to me that way and told me about His will for my life. And then, when I see that the Israelites or whoever God has so clearly spoken to disobeyed, I wonder how on earth they could do such a thing after He appeared in such a profound way.
Well, as it turns out, I’m not a whole lot different that Moses, the Israelites, or anyone else in the Bible who was disobedient. That included Jonah. Shortly after the Lord called him to go to Nineveh, he didn’t listen. And not only did he choose to not go to Nineveh, but he also actually fled in the entirely different direction toward Tarshish.
Again, I look at this story and see how ridiculous Jonah is acting. But when I put myself in his shoes and realize what it must have been like to go into such a violent place and offer them the grace and forgiveness that is found in God alone, I’m pretty certain I would have had the same response. Nevertheless, my internal dialogue often sounds something like this, “But God made it so clear to Jonah. How could he not have gone? If God made it that clear to me, things would be much easier.” That’s often what I am wrestling with. But then I remember that God has indeed made His will for my life clear to me. In fact, He has made it clear for all of us through the gift of His Word. Everything we could ever need in terms of how God has called us to live our lives has been given to us through Scripture. We have the very God-breathed, living, active Word of the Lord to help guide us, shape us, and grow us. He speaks to us through it, we simply must ask Him to. What a gift that is.
Reflect:
- Are there any areas of your life where you have tried to flee from God and been disobedient? If you have not already done so, give those areas over to Him.
- Thank God for the gift of His Word and that He speaks to us through it.