“Yet you have brought up my life from the pit O lord My God”
The bible tells us when we go back to God, he hears us and saves us.
Jonah in the silence and darkness of the moment ran back to God in prayer. The bible tells us that he cried out to the Lord. In his disobedience, he didn’t hide but he remembered his Lord. Often when we feel like we have sinned or done wrong, we want to run but as you will see in the fourth chapter of Jonah. God is patient and loving with us, the book of Romans tells us to come back. Confess our sins and repent.
What’s interesting about this chapter is that when Jonah was running, he didn’t think God could see him but in silence, he remembered God. This what we often do in our run and live existence. We run and prioritise everything but the word of God and our intimacy with God.
It’s in the silence and darkness that Jonah remembered God. When he starts praying. He didn’t hide the depths of his pain or the truth of his situation. He knows what he did and confesses this to the Lord in repentance, praise allowed thanksgiving. He returns back to God and commits to do what he was initially running away from. In that moment of surrender, God makes the fish to spit him on dry land. Sometime we view dark places as punishment instead of looking at it call on him. Jeremiah 33:3.
Jonah talks on the assignment offer being forgiven, delivered and placed on dry land, in the direction of his assignment. He goes and preaches to the people in Nineveh.
This chapter teaches us about repentance. It teaches us what obedience looks like and when we move in obedience how our God responds. It is a chapter about repentance and the mercy of Jehovah. The people of Ninevah’s response to the message was not out of doubt or question but immediate surrender. The entire nation, including the king repented and fasted and God heard their prayers and saw their hearts posture towards his message.
How often do we hear a message from our preachers and it stirs our hearts but as soon as we leave church, we forget the message or the call to respond? How many of us put off the urgent ask of God for our daily lives? How often do we truly repent? I am reminded of this quote that repentance is not when we cry but rather when we change.
As spend time in this chapter lets ask ourselves where is God asking us to change and why are we not moving? Is it fear of the unknown or wanting control? Whatever the reason lets go back to chapter1 and remind ourselves what happens when we disobey or walk in the opposite direction of where God is calling us. Next week we end the series with chapter 4 and we reflect on judgement, vengeance and the mercy of God.
Jonah chapter 4 reminds us that as we come to the end of the series, we reminded that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts and that is why the bible tells us that in proverbs 3:5 that we should not lean on our understanding. Jonah was angry of God’s compassion towards the people of Nineveh. He judge Nineveh and so found it difficult to understand why God would forgive them. In verse 2 it reveals God’s character and this is the same mercy extended to us by God. In Jonah anger, God responds to his immediate need, giving him relief but later takes that provision to teach Jonah a valuable lesson about compassion.
How many of us want the mercy of God for ourselves but immediately get anger when God forgives other sinners as ourselves. This reminds me of the princess Jesus tells that, He who is without sin cast the first stone and none did. We’re all sinners that deserve the mercy and grace of a loving compassionate father. In this passage, we are thought a valuable lesson about vengeance. That is why God says that vengeance belongs to him and we see this here because he knew Jonah’s immediate need and shortly took away. While we may want God to act in a certain way, he knows what is needed when he corrects. God loves his people and he wants us to return to him. Our role as believers is to be witnesses of that goodness and allow God to be gained through the deliverance and saving of his people. As we close this series, let us reflect on the areas in our own lives where we are the Jonah; unaware of our blessings and regretful at those of others, where we are judging without understanding where we question God for others but not for ourselves.
