Lessons from the Book of Jonah

Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion
The Book of Jonah

As I was reading the book of Jonah, it ministered to me as how God doesn't require us to be perfect before He can use us, but the closer we stay to Him, and the more we surrender our wills to His, the less we'll ignore or rebel against His leading, and the more effective we will be as witnesses. God is the master planner, and He knows what is going to happen before it does.  We can't fool Him or frustrate His plans.  Ultimately, if we don't cooperate with His leading, He'll just work with other people who will cooperate with Him and we will just reap the consequences of disobedience.  God is not going to force us to serve Him if that's not what we really want to do.

 In Jonah 1:3 tells us: But Jonah ran away from the Lord. When Jonah chose to run away from his responsibilities, he didn't only put his own life in danger -- he put the lives of all those other sailors in danger and on account of him, they lost many of their possessions. Had he been a better witness, they could have come to a saving knowledge of God without the loss they ended up suffering first. 

It is all too easy for us to decide who is worthy of the message of salvation and who is beyond hope, even though we have no authority for making such a determination.  We need to leave those issues to God, and just witness as we have opportunity. When we choose to serve God, we are committing our lives to Him to guide and direct us according to His purpose.  We can't just walk away whenever we don't like the assignment.

My Prayer:

.....Father, this is a new day—a new day of revelation and truth. You have come to open the secret places of my heart that I might know You in a greater way. I let go of all my reservations, from the smallest to the greatest, I let them go. Help me to learn from the life of Jonah that I might not spend my days in the belly of circumstances because I wanted to do things my way.  I make a choice to follow You and choose not to despise the process of learning and growing up in You Lord. Bring revelation and understanding to the Word when I read it. Open the eyes of my heart and let me see You. Let me see the kind intentions of Your heart for my life.

.....My God, have Your way in every area of my life. Change me from the inside out. Your truth settles down in my spirit to nourish the seeds, the visions and the dreams planted there by You. I want to feel You in the beauty of Your holiness and drink the milk of Your Word in areas where I need it. Fill me up as I think of You when I read your Living Word. Take me on an adventure of great discovery for where there is no door, You create one. You are sovereign and move accordingly in my life and the lives of those I love and in the lives of those I am to touch.  Lead me Lord, and I will follow.

.....My God, spiritual songs are flowing out of me and watering the dry and barren places in my life and the lives of others. All things are possible, for You are My Big God. I am and will continue to be who You have called me to be. Fill me to overflowing for I offer myself as a heart of sacrificial praise and obedience as I live in the grace of Your everlasting, ever enduring love. In Jesus Name, Amen

Jesus Culture - Where You Go I Go

Written by Maribel Castillo

3/19/2013