A Whale Of A Tale

The last couple of days we have been reading from Jonah. I also had been talking with the kids from my Sunday School class about Jonah. So, this theme seems to keep coming around. 

The short story is that God asks Jonah to do something difficult and Jonah really doesn't want to do it. He tries to run from God. God gets angry and the storms come and threaten the ship that Jonah is hiding aboard. Has this ever happened to you?

Have you ever felt the urging of the Holy Spirit but been afraid of that might mean and run from it? It has definitely happened to me. Usually, though, when we try to swim upstream the way becomes difficult. But the unknown of what will happen when we follow God scares us and so we happily struggle to move back to our comfort zone. 

Now, Jonah, does something at this point that is quite remarkable. He realizes why the storms are threatening the ship and he agrees to be thrown overboard as a sacrifice. He realizes that this is bigger than himself and offers himself up to save the others. We too must come to that point that we sacrifice our safe and comfort to submit to the plans that God has for us.

Jonah think that he will just die and that will be the end of it but God rescues him by using a large fish. He arrives eventually at Nineveh and  preaches the message that God had instructed him to do. Everyone in Nineveh was saved.

We may not know why but, when God calls us for his purpose, and we say, "Yes" amazing things happen. What is God calling you for today? It is a question we can ask everyday.