Did you know there are at least 2 documented cases (Baxter, Explore the Book) of men swallowed by sharks or whales who lived to tell about it? That and Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:39-40 prove to us that the story of Jonah is more than a fairy tale! What can leaders learn from his life and experience?
Jonah’s life was interrupted by God’s assignment to him to tell the city of Nineveh to repent. When we read the book of Jonah we see what happens to a man whose life was interrupted. What would yours be? Do you like interruptions? I don’t. But that means I am not open to divine intervention.
Three things we learn:
1. God didn’t need Jonah any more than he needs us to do his work. But we GET to do it.
Throughout the book of Jonah we see God as sovereign, deliverer, merciful and righteous. He doesn’t need us at all, but gratefully He chooses to use us in this world. Do we see serving as a gift? A privilege?
2. When the assignment gets tough, if we avoid or delay obedience…we disobey.
Any delay at all is disobedience. If we don’t want to move out of our comfort zone because we don’t understand God’s purposes, sometimes we stall, wait for further instructions or say no. That puts us in control, not God. When we do that we, like Jonah, move away from God. We don’t want to be close to Him because we aren’t doing His will. I love this quote, “One of the marks of spiritual maturity is the quiet confidence that God is in control-without the need to understand why He does what He does.” –Author Unknown We do not need to understand to obey!