Following God's Lead in His Calling for Your Life (Part 2 of 4)
This week, we are continuing to study Jonah by reading chapter 2. What can we do when adversity comes? What if we are the ones who caused our own struggles?
FAITH
Dani Fielder
8/4/20263 min read
A few weeks back, we started with the book of Jonah and discussed the importance of listening to and obeying God when he calls you to a purpose. In chapter one of the book, we see that God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach to a people that he did not want to. This led Jonah to run in disobedience from where God was leading him. When Jonah ran, he boarded a boat and brought calamity to both him and the other passengers through his failure to submit to God. The chapter ends with Jonah throwing himself overboard and being swallowed by a huge fish, where he stayed for three days and three nights.
This is quite the cliffhanger to be left on. So, what happens next? Many have heard the story of Jonah and the large fish, commonly referred to as a whale. I think the unique part about Jonah's situation, however, is his response when faced by the trials he put himself in.
Jonah Chapter 2 (NIV)
1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said:
“In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the depths,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
4 I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’
5 The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
brought my life up from the pit.
7 “When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.
8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ ”
10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Being swallowed by a fish is no doubt a miraculous event, but God used the raging sea, the casting of lots, and the great fish to get Jonah's attention and build his faith. Jonah's reaction to his circumstance was not frustration or anger; instead, he had a posture of gratitude. Being in the fish made him all the more grateful. He recognized the danger he was in and that he was close to death, and yet God saved him from drowning through the fish. His response was prayer.
So again, how can we use this in our lives? What can this communicate to us?
When things may not look how you'd like them to look, pray.
Jonah went to God while he was in the fish. When we pray, we are communicating to God. He wants to hear our hearts and what is troubling us. He desires a relationship, so go to Him.
Consider what God has already brought you through as a reason to be grateful.
Jonah was in a situation that many would agree could be a valid reason to complain. Jonah, however, recognized that he was the reason he was in the position he was in, and realized that God did not allow him to die when he very well could have. Jonah 2:6 illustrates this by saying, "6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit." It was God who rescued him, and because he can see that, he can be grateful.
Sometimes we are the cause of the problem.
This point is a little more direct but still true. Jonah would not have been in the storm if he had followed God's original command. I feel this story illustrates that sometimes we can get in our own way and cause ourselves more trouble by not following God. God, however, can still turn our disobedience into something fruitful. God can give us another chance even when things look grim. So consider: could my storm be caused by disobedience to follow God?
Jonah's prayer was a powerful one of gratitude in the midst of chaos. He trusted and surrendered to God in his situation, and this is the same thing we are called to do.